Unity is up most important for the Arab world in the face of increasing challenges and risks against the region, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on a Syrian- Saudi summit talks in Damascus on Wednesday.
Al-Assad made the remarks in a meeting with Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz on Wednesday, who is on a two-day official visit to Syria.
It is the monarch's first visit to Syria since he succeeded the throne in 2005, which shows that ties between the two countries have thawed since it soured in 2005 due to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a close Saudi ally.
Many Lebanese blamed Syria on the assassination, but Damascus denies it had anything to do with Hariri's murder.
During the talks, the two leaders awarded each other the highest and most prestigious medals in their countries.
"The awards prove that Syria and Saudi Arabia respect and appreciate each other on their roles in current Mideast situation, which needs coordination and consultations as the top priority," the president's spokeswoman Buthaina Shaaban told reporters.
Shaaban described the talks between the president and the king as "positive and constructive."
The two leaders stressed that unity is upmost need for the Arab world to face challenges, especially in face of the imminent challenges to al-Aqsa mosque, Old Jerusalem and the Palestinian people in the occupied territories, said Shaaban.
"King Abdullah expressed his satisfaction on the development of bilateral ties, which has a long history and featured cooperation and coordination," Shaaban said, "and President Assad praised King Abdullah as a king loyal to Arabs."
The Saudi monarch's visit to Damascus came after the expected positive development in relations between the two countries during the past few months.
Just over a year ago, relations between the two were so strained that Riyadh refused to send a high-level envoy to the Arab League meeting in Damascus.
However, Riyadh named a new ambassador to Syria in early July after leaving the post vacant for a year.
On Sept. 23, President al-Assad paid a surprise visit to the western Saudi coastal city of Jeddah, during which he attended the opening ceremony of the King Abdullah University for Sciences and Technology, and held talks with King Abdullah on bilateral ties and regional issues.
The high profile visit of the Saudi King also indicated that the two countries are getting along with the formation of new Lebanese government, according to media reports.
Riyadh and Damascus are main players in the Arab action and any accord between them will lead to solving "the most complicated political issues," Saudi Arabia's Al Riyadh newspaper said on Wednesday.