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 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.

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.