In his efforts to no longer be isolated in the Arab world, Syrian ruler Assad can claim another success: Saudi Arabia announced that it would reopen a diplomatic mission in Damascus.
After eleven years of a diplomatic ice age, Saudi Arabia wants to reopen its diplomatic mission in Syria. This is according to a statement from the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is not clear whether this will be the embassy or another representation.
For its part, the Syrian Foreign Ministry announced that the country’s diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia would resume work. Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad can thus claim another success in his efforts to normalize relations with the regional Arab neighbors.
View of the closed Saudi embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus. It is still unclear whether it will be opened or another representation.
Relations severed in 2012
On Sunday, the Arab League resumed the country, which had been largely isolated internationally for years because of the civil war in the country. Syria was expelled from the Arab League in November 2011 after Assad’s government cracked down on democracy protests.
In the conflict that broke out after the protests were suppressed, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, millions displaced and the country’s infrastructure and industry badly damaged. Assad has been charged with crimes against humanity, including the use of chemical weapons.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Assad’s government in 2012. After that, the Saudi government openly campaigned for the overthrow of Assad and supported rebel groups in the Syrian civil war.