Saudi Arabia and Syria resume diplomatic ties

Riyadh/ Damascus: Syria’s inclusion in the Arab League has prompted Saudi Arabia to restore its diplomatic ties with Syria. On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia announced the reopening of its embassy in Syria. Likewise, Syria’s foreign minister confirmed on starting the Syrian embassy in Saudi Arabia.

In the last decade of the Arab Spring, many regimes in Middle Eastern and African countries were overthrown. There were attempts to topple Assad’s regime in Syria. The rebel groups fighting against Assad received support from Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. The Arab League expelled Syria due to atrocities committed by President Assad in Syria.

In 2012, Saudi Arabia cut ties with Syria and closed its embassy. President Assad held on to power with help from Iran and Russia. The geopolitical situation in the Middle East is fast evolving. With China’s mediation, arch-rivals like Saudi Arabia and Iran have managed to normalise their relations, followed by including Syria in the Arab League.

After months of negotiations, the Arab League announced the readmission of Syria. Since then, Arab League member countries have started efforts to restore relations with Syria, and the decision to open an embassy from Saudi Arabia is part of that. The US and European countries are still opposed to the Assad regime. Against this background, restoring relations between the Arab and Gulf countries with Syria is a big blow to the US and European countries.

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