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In the Middle East, the cards are being reshuffled. Archenemies Iran and Saudi Arabia have agreed, brokered by China, to normalize relations. Now there is also rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Syria.
On Friday, the foreign ministers of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries discussed Syria’s return to the Arab League. Damascus’s comeback could already be a reality at the Arab League Summit on May 19 in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.
diplomatic activities
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (57) is also apparently invited to the summit. Various diplomatic activities are already being carried out in advance: Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mikdad (69) has already been to Saudi Arabia and Egypt for talks, Assad received Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan (48) last week in Damascus. The Egyptian Foreign Minister Samih Schukri (70) also paid an official visit to the Syrian capital. Assad also recently made a state visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Syria was expelled from the Arab League in 2011. The reason for this was the suppression of anti-government protests. Saudi Arabia broke off all relations with Damascus at the time. The two countries have recently negotiated the resumption of consular services.
Earthquakes made it possible
Syria’s rapprochement with countries in the region is a major political achievement for Assad. It was made possible, among other things, by the earthquake in the Turkish-Syrian border area on February 6, which claimed at least 57,000 lives. Many Arab countries sent relief supplies to Damascus after the natural disaster.
Hasni Abidi, 59, director of the Geneva Study Center on the Arab World and the Mediterranean (Cermam), explains to the Vatican News: “We have seen an unprecedented commitment by the Gulf monarchies, but also by other Arab countries, to both those controlled by the opposition areas and those mainly controlled by the regime. There was even coordination with the Syrian regime. This disaster diplomacy, I think, was an important element in the thawing of relations between the Gulf states and Syria.”
Saudi Arabia is reorienting itself
Should Syria actually rejoin the Arab Union, Abidi said, this means that a “front of rejection from the US” will strengthen. Saudi Arabia has recently turned its back on the United States and is seeking proximity to China and Russia. For example, Saudi Arabia and China recently expressed their willingness to settle oil transactions in yuan instead of dollars.
Abidi believes it is in Saudi Arabia’s interest to have a country like Syria, which is characterized by more anti-American and anti-Western views, on its side. The political scientist speaks of a “real victory for the Syrian regime” and its Russian and Iranian supporters.
Resistance from Kuwait, Qatar and Morocco
Syria’s rejoining of the Arab League is not yet a foregone conclusion. As the Wall Street Journal writes, members Qatar, Kuwait and Morocco oppose such a move. The US has also made it clear that it rejects the Saudi effort. “We will not normalize relations with the Assad regime until real progress has been made towards a political solution to the underlying conflict,” the State Department said in Washington.
If Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (37) gets his plan through despite the opposition, “Bashar al-Assad’s isolation will be over, as Syria will soon rejoin all other regional organizations that depend on the Arab League should,” political scientist Abidi is convinced. (no)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
