In a diplomatic movement to return Syria to the Arab embrace, Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan will arrive today (Tuesday) in Damascus, according to the Syrian Ministry of Information. This is the first visit by a Saudi official to the Syrian capital, since the start of the conflict in Syria 12 years ago.
According to observers, this visit culminates in the return of Saudi-Syrian relations, as it comes a week after the visit of Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad to Jeddah, at a time when Arab countries are discussing the possibility of Damascus returning to the Arab League after its membership was suspended in 2011, which opens the door to its participation in the The upcoming Arab summit in Riyadh next month.
In recent years, there have been indications of an Arab openness to return Syria to the Arab embrace, emanating from the reopening of the UAE embassy in Damascus in 2018.
It seems that the catastrophe of the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey last February accelerated the process of resuming relations between Damascus and the Arab countries, and Saudi aid planes landed in Syria, the first since the severing of relations. And Riyadh announced last month that it was in talks with Damascus regarding the resumption of consular services between the two countries.
On April 12, and on his first official visit to Saudi Arabia, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad visited Jeddah and discussed with his Saudi counterpart "the necessary steps to achieve a comprehensive political settlement to the Syrian crisis that would end all its repercussions and contribute to Syria's return to its Arab surroundings." After Saudi Arabia, Al-Miqdad visited Algeria and Tunisia, which announced this month the resumption of its relations with Syria.
And Saudi Arabia hosted (Friday) a meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, with the participation of Egypt, Jordan and Iraq, to discuss the return of Damascus to the Arab incubator. The conferees stressed the importance of an Arab leadership role in efforts to end the crisis, and to intensify consultations between Arab countries to ensure the success of these efforts.
Okaz (Damascus, Jeddah) @okaz_online