2023-05-19 18:44:39
“We are happy to welcome President Bashar al-Assad to this summit“, said the Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salmanat the opening of the summit, hoping that the reintegration of his country will bring “stability“in Syria.
As a reminder, the pan-Arab organization had expelled the Syrian regime at the end of 2011, for its repression of a popular uprising, which degenerated into war, before reinstating it on May 7th.
A comeback enabled by the Gulf countries
The United Arab Emirates, which had reestablished its ties with Syria in 2018, have been very active in the reintegration of Damascus into the Arab fold. The Syrian regime has also benefited from a surge of solidarity after an earthquake which on February 6 devastated large parts of Syria and Turkey.
Now back in the Arab fold, Bashar al-Assad wants collaboration with his counterparts to be very active, as he said just before the start of the summit:
“We are at the heart of the Arab League, an important league. Is it possible to establish deep bilateral relations that go beyond diplomatic relations, that go beyond the officials and the two leaders and that go down to the level of the people in all sectors – economic, and more importantly, cultural, intellectual – so that we can create a collective consciousness?“said the Syrian head of state.”Let’s work together in an Arab league to create collective awareness“.
Qatar demands accountability
Today, Syria hopes for the normalization of its relations with the Arab countries, in particular the rich monarchies of the Gulf, to finance its costly reconstruction. To do this, it can count on the support of the United Arab Emirates, the Sultanate of Bahrain, but above all Saudi Arabia, which has come closer in recent months to Iran, a Shiite country, unfailing support of Syria and great regional rival.
Other countries nevertheless remain reluctant to normalize relations with Damascus: this is particularly the case of Qatar, which believes that Syrian leaders must be held accountable for the “war crimes” committed by the Syrian regime. Because if the fighting has almost stopped, the war has left around half a million dead, as well as millions of refugees and displaced persons.
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