Saudi Arabia on Sunday appointed a new ambassador to Syria. This is the first ambassadorial appointment in Damascus since the Saudi embassy was closed in 2012 due to the Syrian civil war. Riyadh's new ambassador to Syria will be Faisal al-Mujammal. Saudi Arabia reopened its embassy in Syria earlier this year after the two countries cut diplomatic ties more than a decade ago. The newly appointed envoy said he hopes to serve the kingdom's interests and strengthen bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries.
The move is the most significant yet in a series of moves by Arab states to normalise ties with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who was shunned by many Western and Arab countries after Syria's civil war began in 2011. In May 2023, Saudi Arabia reopened its diplomatic mission in Damascus that had been closed since 2012 following a China-brokered reconciliation between Riyadh and Tehran, allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government. Also in May last year, Assad attended the Arab League summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah after a 13-year suspension from the regional forum. A Syrian ambassador began working from Riyadh in December, and Saudi Arabia sent a charge d'affaires to Damascus shortly after.
5 lakh people died in the civil war
The Arab government broke off relations with Assad after a crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011, after which the conflict turned into a civil war, killing more than 500,000 people and displacing millions. The rebellion that has turned into a civil war in Syria has killed about half a million people. At the same time, half of the country's population of 23 million has been displaced. Efforts are being made to find a viable political solution to end it.
Agreement on re-establishment of diplomatic relations
The devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Turkey and northern Syria in February 2023 was the impetus for most Arab countries to restore ties with President Assad. In March 2023, Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to re-establish diplomatic relations after talks in Beijing, a major diplomatic breakthrough aimed at reducing conflict between the two countries.
Iran has been a key political and military ally of the Assad government in Syria and the Lebanese Hezbollah group. In Yemen, Saudi Arabia has led a coalition against Iran-backed Houthi rebels since 2015 in an attempt to restore the internationally recognised government. The conflict has turned into a war between Saudi Arabia and Iran in recent years.
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