Syria’s interim president has made his first trip abroad, traveling to Saudi Arabia in a move likely trying to signal Damascus’ shift away from Iran as its main regional ally.

Syria’s newly appointed interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, arrived in Saudi Arabia on Sunday for his first foreign trip since his rebel coalition ousted the longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad, saying his country seeks a real partnership with the Gulf kingdom.

Sharaa, met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Sunday in his first foreign trip as Syrian leader, in a sign of the major shifts under way in regional alliances.

Saudi Arabia is pushing world governments to lift international sanctions on Damascus as it looks to shape the future of a country once firmly under Tehran’s influence.

Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Sunday as he embarked on his first foreign trip since taking power after the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Syria’s interim president is making his first trip abroad, visiting Saudi Arabia in a move likely trying to signal Damascus’s shift away from Iran as its main regional ally. Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaeda,