Bashar Al Assad welcomes new members of parliament in Damascus.
PHOTO BY REUTERS
After severing diplomatic connections more than a decade ago, Syria and Saudi Arabia have decided to rebuild their embassies, according to several sources.
The biggest advancement in Arab states’ efforts to repair relations with Assad would be the restoration of ties between Riyadh and Damascus.
Contacts between Riyadh and Damascus have intensified after a historic deal to restore ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, said a key ally of President Bashar Al-Assad, a regional source aligned with Damascus.
The decision was the outcome of talks in Saudi Arabia with a senior Syrian intelligence official, according to one of the regional sources and a Gulf diplomat.
As of the moment, there were no statements from the Saudi government’s communication office, the kingdom’s foreign ministry and the Syrian government.
UAE has taken the lead in restoring normal relations with Assad, most recently hosting him and his wife in Abu Dhabi.
The senior Syrian intelligence official “stayed for days” in Riyadh, according to the Gulf diplomat, and an agreement was reached to reopen embassies “very soon.”
In 2018, the UAE reopened its embassy in Damascus on the grounds that more Arab countries needed to be involved in settling the Syrian conflict. KD/Expat Media
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