Back to Damascus: Saudi Arabia Appoints First Ambassador to Syria in over A Decade

By Staff, Agencies

Saudi Arabia has appointed its ambassador to Syria for the first time since the kingdom closed its embassy in Damascus in 2012, after foreign-backed terrorism and violence gripped the country.

Saudi Arabia’s state news agency, SPA, said on Sunday that Riyadh's new ambassador to Syria will be Faisal Al-Mujfel.

The report quoted the new Saudi envoy as hoping to “serve the Kingdom's interests and strengthen the bilateral bonds between the two brotherly nations.”

Saudi Arabia had reopened its embassy in Syria earlier this year with a charge d'affaires after the Syrian government reopened its Riyadh embassy last year and appointed a new ambassador in December.

The re-establishment of relations between Riyadh and Damascus is a new development among a series of moves by regional Arab states to mend fences with Syria.

The Arab countries’ decision to re-establish relations with Syria came after the latter’s increasing success in recapturing vast swathes of its territory and turning the tide against the foreign-sponsored terrorists.

Earlier in January, the United Arab Emirates dispatched its first ambassador to Syria after 13 years, following the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received Hassan Ahmed al-Shehhi in early February, after the Emirati ambassador officially presented his credentials to Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Al-Mikdad.

According to Syria’s official SANA news agency, al-Shehi conveyed to the Syrian side his commitment to enhancing bilateral relations between the two countries.