Saudi Arabia and Syria decided to restore their diplomatic ties following a decade of suspension.
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad cemented his return to the Arab fold on May 9 as leading Sunni power Saudi Arabia, which long supported Syria’s opposition, said its diplomats would resume work in the country.
The restoration of diplomatic ties, which was subsequently confirmed by Damascus, came more than a decade after Riyadh withdrew its representatives during Syria’s civil war and two days after the Arab League bloc ended Syria’s years-long suspension.
Saudi Arabia will host the pan-Arab bloc’s next summit scheduled for May 19.
Ever since Syria’s war broke out, Assad had been politically isolated in the region. However, a flurry of diplomatic activity has been underway over the past weeks after Saudi Arabia and Iran, a close ally of Damascus, resumed ties, thus shifting the political landscape.
Three weeks ago, Assad met in Damascus with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the first such visit since the war broke out in 2011.
At that time, Assad and Prince Faisal had discussed steps to “achieve a comprehensive political settlement that… contributes to Syria’s return to the Arab fold,” the Saudi foreign ministry said.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with Assad’s government in 2012, as Riyadh had long openly championed Assad’s ouster, backing Syrian rebels in earlier stages of the war.
Assad hopes normalization with wealthy Gulf states would bring economic relief and money for reconstruction, as broader international funding remains elusive in the absence of a United Nations-backed political settlement to the conflict.
On May 7, the Arab League said Syria was allowed to return to the Arab League.
The US and Britain said they still opposed relations with Assad but would work with Arab states to re-establishing ties.
The US maintains hundreds of soldiers in Syria as part of a coalition against the Islamic State group.
Miroslava Salazar with AFP.
