The governments of Saudi Arabia and Syria said that they were discussing "necessary steps" to end the Syrian crisis and the country’s diplomatic isolation from the Arab world.

In a joint statement by the foreign ministers of the two countries, it was said that the aim was to achieve a "national reconciliation" and bring Syria, which has been facing diplomatic isolation since the start of the civil war in 2011, back to its Arab fold.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said that the two ministers discussed "the necessary steps to achieve a complete political settlement to the Syrian crisis".

The Damascus administration has been diplomatically isolated since the start of the civil war in the country. However, a growing number of Arab countries are in favour of re-establishing diplomatic relations with the war-torn country.

While carrying out negotiations with the Syrian delegation, Riyadh also welcomed an Iranian delegation. The delegation from Iran is visiting Riyadh to reopen its diplomatic missions in the country.

A few days ago, the foreign ministers of Iran and Saudi Arabia held a landmark meeting in Beijing, China. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended in 2016. During the meeting in Beijing, an agreement brokered by China was reached for the restoration of relations between the two countries. Both countries will reopen their embassies by May and reimplement the economic and security agreements signed more than 20 years ago.

Meanwhile, nine countries in the region will meet on Friday to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League. On May 19, Saudi Arabia will host the Arab League’s summit.