Saudi Arabia, Syria agree to re-establish ties

BEIRUT/RIYADH: According to a British news agency, Syria and Saudi Arabia have decided to reopen their embassies after severing diplomatic ties more than ten years ago. A regional source allied with Damascus claimed that contacts between Riyadh and Damascus had accelerated following a historic agreement to restore ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran, a significant ally of President Bashar al-Assad. The most significant advancement in Arab states’ efforts to normalize relations with Assad would be the restoration of ties between Riyadh and Damascus. Assad was shunned by many Western and Arab nations after Syria’s civil war started in 2011. According to a local source, the two governments were “getting ready to reopen embassies after Eid al-Fitr,” a Muslim holiday in the second half of April.

The decision was the result of talks in Saudi Arabia with a senior Syrian intelligence official, according to one of the regional sources and a diplomat in the Gulf. The Saudi government’s communication office, the kingdom’s foreign ministry and the Syrian government did not respond to requests for comment.

Saudi state television later confirmed that talks were ongoing with the Syrian foreign ministry to resume consular services, citing a Saudi foreign ministry official. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.

The apparently sudden breakthrough could indicate how the deal between Tehran and Riyadh may play into other crises in the region, where their rivalry has fuelled conflicts including the war in Syria. The United States, an ally of Saudi Arabia, has opposed moves by regional countries to normalise ties with Assad, citing his government’s brutality during the conflict and the need to see progress towards a political solution.