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2023-04-18 09:06:10
The visit culminates in the resumption of Syrian-Saudi relations and comes a few days following the visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad to Jeddah, and at a time when Arab countries are discussing the possibility of Damascus returning to the Arab League.
The Saudi openness to Syria comes in the midst of regional diplomatic moves that have changed the political landscape in the region since Riyadh and Tehran, an ally of Damascus, agreed to resume their relations last month.
The Syrian Ministry of Information called on journalists to cover the expected arrival of the Saudi Foreign Minister in the followingnoon at Damascus International Airport.
Following the outbreak of protests in Syria, which soon turned into a bloody conflict in 2011, several Arab countries, led by Saudi Arabia, severed diplomatic relations with Damascus.
Saudi Arabia, which closed its embassy in Damascus in March 2012, especially during the first years of the conflict, provided support to the Syrian opposition, and received figures from it on its soil.
However, during the past few years, signs of Arab openness towards Syria have emerged, which began with the UAE reopening its embassy in Damascus in 2018.
It seems that the devastating earthquake in Syria and neighboring Turkey in February accelerated the process of Damascus resuming its relationship with its regional surroundings, with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad receiving a torrent of contacts and aid from the leaders of Arab countries.
The Saudi openness towards Damascus appeared for the first time following the earthquake, with Saudi aid planes landing in government-controlled areas, the first since Riyadh severed its relations with Damascus.
It is only a few weeks until Riyadh announced last month that it is in talks with Damascus regarding resuming consular services.
On April 12, and on his first official visit to Saudi Arabia since the estrangement, Al-Miqdad visited Jeddah, where he discussed with Bin Farhan “the necessary steps to achieve a comprehensive political settlement to the Syrian crisis that ends all its repercussions (…) and contributes to Syria’s return to its Arab surroundings.”
Return to the Arab embrace
After Saudi Arabia, Al-Miqdad visited Algeria, one of the few Arab countries that maintained its relations with Damascus, as well as Tunisia, which announced this month the resumption of its relations with Syria.
On Friday, Saudi Arabia hosted a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, in addition to Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, to discuss the return of Damascus to its Arab surroundings.
The meeting did not issue a decision to return Syria to the Arab League, in which its membership was suspended in 2011, but they stressed “the importance of having an Arab leadership role in the efforts to end the crisis” in Syria, as well as “intensifying consultations between Arab countries to ensure success.” these efforts.”
It seems that Qatar still opposes Syria’s return to the Arab League, as Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani considered last week that the reasons for suspending Damascus’ membership still exist.
However, in an interview with Russia Today channel last month, al-Assad said, “We will not return unless there is consensus,” considering that “returning to the Arab League is not a goal in itself, the goal is joint Arab action.”
The Arab openness to Damascus coincides with the change of the political map in the region following the Saudi-Iranian agreement, on which hopes are pinned for the return of stability in a region that has long been shaken by proxy conflicts.
In his interview with Russia Today, al-Assad said, “The Syrian arena is no longer a place for an Iranian-Saudi conflict, as it was at some stages,” considering that “Saudi policy took a different turn towards Syria years ago, and it was not regarding interfering in internal affairs or supporting any factions.” in Syria”.
He pointed out that “talk regarding a Syrian-Iranian relationship that must be severed (…) has not been raised with Syria for many years.”
After 12 years of war, Damascus is now looking forward to reconstruction funds following its forces regained most of the areas it lost at the beginning of the conflict, with the support of its two main allies: Russia and Iran.
The conflict has claimed the lives of more than half a million people and displaced more than half of Syria’s population inside and outside the country. It has also turned the country into an arena for settling scores between regional and international powers. All of this left its impact on the exhausted economy due to the massive destruction of infrastructure, factories, and production.
The return of Syria to the Arab embrace may not change the political and field map in the short term, as there are other parties that must be taken into account, from Russia and Iran to the United States, which deploys forces in Syria in support of the Kurdish fighters, to Turkey, which controls border areas, which in turn started talks. With Syria regarding the resumption of relations.
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