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.

Saudi Arabia sent a new aid plane to Syria on Saturday as part of the kingdom’s relief bridge to the country following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime. The Syrian state news agency SANA said a plane loaded with 30 tons of relief materials arrived at Damascus International Airport.

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.

Despite supporting the armed opposition in the earlier parts of the Syrian civil war, Turkey and Saudi Arabia soon found themselves competing in Syria. Assad’s fall opens a new chapter.

Saudi Arabia's foreign minister on Sunday called for the lifting of sanctions on Syria after meetings with top diplomats from the Middle East and Europe. This comes just a month after Islamist-led rebels toppled strongman Bashar al-Assad.