According to reports on Algerian state radio late Friday, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad will arrive in Algeria on Saturday, signaling Damascus’ renewed readiness to connect with the Arab world after being shut off for more than a decade.
Algeria’s foreign minister, Ahmed Ataf, will meet with his colleague, according to state radio.
Mekdad is also expected to visit Tunis early next week.
On Wednesday, the Syrian and Tunisian governments agreed to reopen their embassies, resuming ties that had been strained for 11 years due to Syria’s deadly crackdown on anti-Assad demonstrators.
Syria’s isolation in the Arab world originates from the country’s decade-long civil war, which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, drawn the attention of numerous international countries, split the country apart, and plunged the region into instability.
Saudi Arabia plans to change the regional approach to the Syrian situation by inviting President Bashar al-Assad to the Arab League summit, which will be held in Riyadh on May 19.
Riyadh welcomed Syria’s Mekdad for historic talks on Wednesday, and the two countries agreed to reopen their embassies in the near future.
Following the terrible earthquake in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, Egypt and Jordan sent their foreign ministers to Damascus.
Assad then traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Oman for talks.
