DAMASCUS, Syria — Syria and Saudi Arabia said Saturday they aim to boost economic cooperation for their mutual benefit and create jobs for Syrians after Western sanctions imposed on the war-torn country were eased earlier in May.

The announcement was made during a visit to Damascus by Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, who met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and other Syrian officials.

The easing of Western sanctions is likely to open the way for foreign investors into the country, where a civil war has been ongoing since March 2011. In early December, 54 years of Assad family rule came to an end, when gunmen opposed to then-president Bashar Assad captured his seat of power in Damascus.

The Saudi foreign minister said that the easing of sanctions by the U.S., the European

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