The Saudi Arabian authorities decided to resume the work of its embassy in Syria as Damascus has normalized its relations with Arab countries. The kingdom's foreign ministry announced this on Tuesday.
"Considering the fraternal ties that unite the peoples of Saudi Arabia and Syria, seeking to contribute to the development of pan-Arab activities and the strengthening of peace and security in the region, given the decision to resume the participation of Syrian representatives in the meetings of the Council of the Arab League [LAS] <...>, Saudi Arabia has decided to reopen its diplomatic mission in Syria," the ministry said in a message posted on its Twitter page.
Syria's membership in the Arab League was suspended in November 2011 at the height of an internal crisis that turned into an armed conflict. Saudi Arabia closed its embassy in Damascus and recalled all members of the diplomatic mission from the Arab republic in March 2012. After the devastating earthquakes in early February this year, most of the Arab states stepped closer to Syria and provided significant humanitarian assistance. Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud held talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on April 18, and on May 7 the Arab League Council decided to return Syria to the regional organization.
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Based on materials from TASS