On a rapprochement: Syrian foreign minister travels to Saudi Arabia

After breaking off their relations in the course of the civil war, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad traveled to Saudi Arabia for talks for the first time in more than a decade. According to the Saudi foreign ministry, Wednesday’s unannounced visit is aimed at finding a political solution to the conflict in Syria. The meeting was held at the invitation of Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan.

The influential kingdom of Saudi Arabia cut ties with Syria in 2012 and recalled its ambassador. The move was seen as a protest against the Syrian government’s brutal actions against its own people. Recently, however, the two countries reportedly negotiated the resumption of consular services. This would be a major political victory for Syria’s internationally isolated president Bashar al-Assad. He seized the February 6 earthquake in Syria and Turkey as an opportunity to intensify contacts with his Arab neighbours.

Riyadh was also instrumental in suspending Syria’s membership in the Arab League. A rapprochement between the two states makes a return of Syria to the organization more likely.

The rapprochement between Riyadh and Damascus would mark another major political shift in the region. In March, the two rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran announced a resumption of bilateral relations, which at the same time increases the chances of easing the conflict in Syria. Besides Russia, Iran is President Assad’s main ally. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, has long supported rebels in the Syrian civil war.

The Syrian state news agency Sana also announced on Wednesday that the country wants to reopen its embassy in Tunisia after years of diplomatic ice age. Tunisia had previously announced that it wanted to appoint a new ambassador for the civil war country. (sda/dpa)