Ajit Karn
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia and Syria are in talks to resume consular services, Saudi state media reported Thursday, more than a decade after the Gulf monarchy severed ties with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
“Discussions are underway between officials in the kingdom and their counterparts in Syria regarding the resumption of consular services,” Al-Ekhbariya reported, citing an official from the Saudi foreign ministry.
The report did not provide a timeline for the move, which would be Saudi Arabia’s latest attempt to reconcile rifts with regional rivals.
Seven years after they had been severed, diplomatic connections between Saudi Arabia and Iran have been reestablished through an agreement brokered by China.
Saudi Arabia has been alluding at a reconciliation with Syria for weeks.
After a devastating earthquake impacted southeastern Turkey and northern Syria on February 6, killing tens of thousands of people, the United States sent aid to both rebel-held and government-controlled areas of the country.
This endeavor did not involve direct contact with Assad’s internationally isolating government; instead, Saudi officials coordinated with the Syrian Red Crescent on aid destined for territory under government control.
Since the earthquake, Arab engagement in Damascus has increased, including from governments that have resisted normalization for more than a decade.
Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi foreign minister, stated in February that there was a growing consensus in the Arab world that a new approach to Syria involving negotiations with Damascus would be required to resolve humanitarian crises.
Prince Faisal stated at the Munich Security Conference, “There is a consensus in the Arab world that the status quo is not working and we must find an alternative approach.”
“This strategy is still being developed,” he continued.
Ayham Kamel, Middle East and North Africa researcher for Eurasia Group, stated that Saudi Arabia’s de facto governor, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, would prefer “a more stable environment” in the region so he can focus on domestic issues.
“The domestic economic modernization agenda necessitates a more stable environment and consequently the emerging deals,” Kamel told AFP.
The Saudi foreign minister stated that policy adjustments regarding Syria could also benefit Syrian refugees in neighboring countries, particularly Jordan and Lebanon.
According to Emirati state media, Assad visited the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, where President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan told him it was time for Damascus to be reintegrated into the larger Arab region.
The voyage, Assad’s second to the oil-rich UAE in as many years, follows a visit to Oman last month, his only official engagements in Arab nations since the beginning of Syria’s civil conflict in 2011.
Syria was expelled from the Arab League headquartered in Cairo in 2011 for its ruthless suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations.
