DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said on Friday from Damascus that his country was engaged in an active dialogue with Europe and the U.S. to help lift economic sanctions imposed on Syria.

Saudi Arabia is taking part in talks with western powers to help remove sanctions against Syria, the kingdom's Foreign Minister said on Friday as he made his first visit to Damascus since the fall of former president Bashar Al Assad.

Syria is the main source of Captagon shipments to the Gulf and the new authorities in the country have pledged to crack down on the trade.

Many countries worldwide launched relief, aid campaigns for Syria following fall of Assad regime - Anadolu Ajansı

Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, met on Sunday (January 26) with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohamed bin Salman, at the UNESCO World Heritage archaeological site of Al-Ula. The bilateral was part of a three-day mission of the Italian prime minister to the Persian Gulf countries,

During a press conference Friday with his Syrian counterpart, bin Farhan said Saudi Arabia was standing by Syria, pointing to "the importance of accelerating the lifting and freezing of all sanctions".

Saudi Arabia's top diplomat landed in Syria on Friday, an AFP correspondent reported, in his first visit to Damascus since Islamist-led rebels ousted president Bashar al-Assad last month.

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Syria’s new leader Ahmed Al Sharaa in Damascus on Thursday, in the first high-level Saudi visit to Syria since the fall of Bashar Al Assad.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani said on Wednesday that the country will open its economy to foreign investment and that Damascus is also working on energy and electricity partnerships with Gulf states.

Syria's interim rulers are trying to form a united national army after the fall of Bashar Assad late last year

No country has as much to gain from a stable Syria as Turkey, and few have as much to lose if it implodes. Turkey is home to more than 3m Syrian refugees, and wants Syria to be safe enough for many to return.