State media has reported that Saudi Arabia and Syria have resumed their diplomatic missions in both countries, more than a decade after Riyadh severed ties with Syria due to the government’s harsh treatment of its civil war.
On Tuesday, the Saudi Press Agency announced that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had decided to re-establish its diplomatic mission in the Syrian Arab Republic.
This announcement followed Syria’s readmission into the Arab League two days prior, despite the United States repeated objections to ending the isolation of a regime that it holds responsible for the deaths of over 300,000 civilians and the displacement of millions during the country’s civil war.
Syrian state media SANA also confirmed that Damascus had decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Saudi Arabia, citing a statement from an official source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Based on the deep bonds and common affiliation of the peoples of the Syrian Arab Republic and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and in confirmation of both communities’ wills, and based on the Syrian Arab Republic believe in the importance of strengthening bilateral relations between Arab countries to serve joint Arab action, The Syrian Arab Republic decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” the statement reads.
According to officials and analysts, the recent decision to readmit Syria into the Arab League, although symbolic, could have significant implications. It raises hopes that it could lead to the international rehabilitation of President Bashar Al Assad’s regime and the lifting of crippling sanctions.