DAMASCUS (Al Jazeera/AP) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in the most significant step yet towards ending Syria’s decade-long regional isolation.
Bin Farhan landed in Damascus on Tuesday, Syrian state media reported, a week after his Syrian counterpart visited Saudi Arabia.
The visit is the first by a Saudi official to Syria’s capital since the start of the country’s foreign-backed war in 2011.
The Saudi foreign ministry said in an online statement that the visit showed the kingdom’s desire to find a political solution to Syria’s conflict that would preserve the country’s “Arab identity, and return it to its Arab surroundings”.
A flurry of diplomatic activity has been underway in the past week as regional relations shift following a decision by Saudi Arabia and Damascus’s ally Iran to resume ties.
The trip comes less than a week after Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited Saudi Arabia, also on the first such visit since the conflict began.
Last week, diplomats from nine Arab countries met in the Saudi city of Jeddah to discuss ending Syria’s long spell in the diplomatic isolation and its possible return to the 22-member Arab League after Damascus was suspended in 2011.
The diplomats stressed the “importance of having an Arab leadership role in efforts to end the crisis” in Syria, according to a statement by the Saudi foreign ministry.
Saudi Arabia severed ties with al-Assad’s government in 2012. Several other Arab countries also cut ties with Syria as some powers bet on al-Assad’s demise.
But regional capitals have gradually been warming to al-Assad as he has clawed back most of the territory lost to rivals, with crucial backing from Russia and Iran.
The United Arab Emirates, which re-established ties in late 2018, has been leading the charge to reintegrate Damascus into the Arab fold.
Meanwhile, Syria’s chief diplomat is on a three-day official visit to Tunisia meant to restore diplomatic relations that have been cut off since 2012.
Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mikdad had a meeting with Tunisian counterpart Nabil Ammar shortly after his arrival on Monday evening. No details were disclosed about the talks and Mikdad’s schedule for Tuesday or Wednesday.
The visit is meant to help restore bilateral relations, the Tunisian Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The move is a glaring example of how things have changed in the region over the past decade.
Earlier this month, Tunisian President Kais Saied ordered the appointment of an ambassador to the Syrian capital, Damascus. It followed the decision of the Syrian government to reopen its embassy in Tunis and appoint an ambassador.