Over a decade after Tunisia severed ties with Syria in protest of a violent crackdown on anti-Bashar al-Assad dissidents, the two countries announced on Wednesday that they would restore their respective embassies.
As a result of Syria’s decade-long civil war, which has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people, attracted the attention of numerous foreign powers, and torn the country apart, the declaration helped end Syria’s isolation in the Arab world.
In 2017, Tunisia reestablished a restricted diplomatic post in Damascus as a result of the presence of more than three thousand Tunisian Islamic extremists in Syria.
Two months ago, Tunisian President Kais Saied declared his desire to mend ties with Damascus, and the nation promptly dispatched aid aircraft to assist Syria in dealing with the aftermath of a devastating earthquake.
Wednesday, the Syrian government announced that it will reopen its embassy in Tunis with a new ambassador and that it has approved the appointment of a Tunisian ambassador to Damascus.
After Saied’s alleged July 2021 coup, in which he seized nearly all power, Tunisia has demonstrated a willingness to restore ties with Syria.
The foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan traveled to Damascus on February 6 in response to the February 6 earthquake that devastated southeastern Turkey and northern Syria.
Assad then traveled to the United Arab Emirates and Oman for negotiations. He will also meet with the foreign minister of Saudi Arabia, who will invite him to a forthcoming Arab League conference in Riyadh for the first time since 2011.
Although Syria’s readmission to the 22-member League would be primarily symbolic, it would signify a change in regional attitudes toward the country’s unrest.
According to reports, Saudi Arabia and Syria agreed last month to reopen their embassies following the conclusion of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, which concludes in April.
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not validated an agreement with the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but claims to be in negotiations to resume consular operations.
