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

Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was once aligned with al-Qaida, landed in Riyadh alongside his government’s foreign minister, Asaad al-Shaibani. The two men traveled on a Saudi jet, with a Saudi flag visible on the table behind them.

Saudi state television trumpeted the fact that al-Sharaa made Riyadh his first destination. Syria’s new three-star, tricolor flag flew next to Saudi Arabia’s own at the airport as al-Sharaa walked off the plane. He later met with the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.

The state-run Saudi Press Agency described their discussions as examining ways to “support the security and stability of sisterly Syria.” Syria’s state-run SANA news agency quoted al-Sharaa as saying they “worked on raising the level of communication and cooperation in all areas, especially those humanitarian and economic.”

— The Associated Press