(Riyadh) Syria has ended more than a decade of diplomatic isolation within the Arab League, with officials attending a preparatory session Monday ahead of Friday’s summit in Saudi Arabia.
“Welcome to the Syrian Arab Republic in the League of Arab States,” Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan said at the meeting in Jeddah, broadcast live by state-run Al-Ekhbariya TV.
It is the first time that Syrian officials have taken part in an Arab League meeting since November 2011, when the pan-Arab organization suspended the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, due to the violent repression of demonstrations which degenerated into a conflict that has left more than 500,000 dead and millions displaced.
In a regional context of diplomatic rapprochement, the League reintegrated the Syrian regime on May 7, thus guaranteeing the return of Mr. Assad to Arab rule.
The Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, had invited the Syrian president on May 10 to participate in the annual summit to be held on Friday in the coastal city of Jeddah, on the Red Sea. This is his first participation since 2010, when the summit took place in Libya.
Regional capitals have gradually moved closer to Mr Assad, who has held on to power and regained lost territory with crucial support from Iran and Russia, although large areas of northern Syria still beyond the control of the government.
The United Arab Emirates reestablished ties with Syria in 2018 and recently took the lead in efforts to reintegrate Damascus.
Diplomatic activity notably resumed after the deadly earthquake which struck Syria and Turkey on 6 February.
Riyadh, which cut ties with the Syrian government in 2012, confirmed last week that work would resume at diplomatic missions in Syria and Saudi Arabia.
However, some countries have been reluctant to renew ties with Mr. Assad, such as Qatar, which has indicated that it will not normalize relations with the Syrian government.