Saudi Arabia to Re-establish Ties with Syria

By Staff, Agencies

In a step that would mark a leap forward in Damascus’s return to the Arab fold, Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reopen their embassies after cutting diplomatic ties more than a decade ago.

Contacts between Riyadh and Damascus had gathered momentum following a landmark agreement to re-establish ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

The re-establishment of ties between Riyadh and Damascus would mark the most significant development yet in moves by Arab states to normalize ties with Syria.

The two governments were “preparing to reopen embassies after Eid al-Fitr”, the Holy Muslim holiday in the second half of April, a second regional source aligned with Damascus told Reuters.

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.