Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said Saudi Arabia had a "genuine desire" to support his war-torn country, after meeting on Sunday with the oil-rich Gulf state's crown prince.

Accompanied by his foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani, Sharaa was greeted by Saudi officials on arrival in Riyadh, images from state television outlet Al-Ekhbariya showed.

Sharaa was later received by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the official Saudi news agency reported.

"We held a long meeting during which we felt and heard a genuine desire to support Syria in building its future," Sharaa was quoted as saying in a statement on Telegram.

The official Saudi Press Agency, meanwhile, said that Prince Mohammed and Sharaa discussed "ways to support the security and stability of sisterly Syria", as well as "ways to strengthen bilateral relations".

Sharaa, whose Islamist group led the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in........

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