Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad and his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud condemned presence of foreign forces in the Syrian soil as they met in part of the move to restore ties between the two countries.

In a joint statement issued following a meeting between the two top diplomats in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah on Wednesday evening, both sides agreed to resume consular services and direct flights between Damascus and Riyadh, and work with each other to beef up regional security and combat all forms of terrorism.

They also discussed the necessary steps to achieve a comprehensive political settlement to the crisis in Syria and end all its repercussions, secure national reconciliation, and contribute to the return of Syria to its Arab fold and its natural role in the Arab world.

In the joint statement, both sides agreed on the need for the Syrian state to assert its control over all its territories and end the presence of all foreign forces.

The US military has stationed its forces and equipment in northeastern Syria without the Syrian government's consent, with the Pentagon claiming that the deployment aims to prevent the oil fields in the area from falling into the hands of the Daesh terrorists.

Damascus, however, says the US deployment is aimed at plundering Syria’s natural resources. Former US president Donald Trump admitted on several occasions that American forces were in the Arab country for its oil wealth.