Saudi Arabia, Syria to Resume Diplomatic Missions

Facts

• On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia announced that it would reopen its diplomatic mission in Syria after withdrawing its representatives more than a decade ago, the Saudi Press Agency reported.¹
• Following Riyadh's decision, Syria also announced it would resume the work of its diplomatic mission in the kingdom, citing the need to reinforce bilateral ties between Arab countries, according to Syrian state media SANA.²
• Saudi Arabia, which cut ties with Damascus in 2012, said the mutual resumption of diplomatic relations is based on "brotherly ties" between the peoples of both countries and advances the kingdom's goal of developing "joint Arab action" to bolster regional security.³
• The move comes after Arab League foreign ministers on Sunday agreed to readmit Syria to the pan-Arab bloc from which it was excluded in 2011 after the outbreak of anti-government protests and the country's subsequent civil war.⁴
• Weeks earlier, Syrian Pres. Bashar al-Assad met with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Damascus — marking the first such visit since the start of Syria's civil war, during which Riyadh has supported anti-government rebel groups.⁵
• The US, an ally of Saudi Arabia, which will host the next Arab League summit on May 19, has opposed normalizing relations with the Iran-backed Syrian government, pointing to its alleged brutality during the conflict.⁶

Sources: ¹France 24, ²Syrian Arab News Agency, ³Al Arabiya English, ⁴Middle East Monitor, ⁵The Times of Israel, and ⁶WION.

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Bloomberg. The ongoing rapprochement between the bloody Syrian regime and the Arab world will fuel existing regional conflicts and generate new ones. Not only will Assad's narco-state exploit the opening to flood the region with illicit drugs, but Arab states will directly collide with Western sanctions if they attempt to financially support the Syrian regime. Washington must stand by its values and not only increase its vigilance against any attempts to evade sanctions but punish those who try to do so.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Tehran Times. The gradual Syrian-Saudi reconciliation and Syria's return to the Arab League, of which it is a founding member, are further evidence of Washington's waning regional influence in a multipolar world and the failure of US-backed efforts to topple the Syrian government. Moreover, Syria's return to the Arab League will not only strengthen the Arab bloc's regional stance, but also contribute to solving the Syrian crisis and addressing implications such as terrorism, drug smuggling, and the refugee crisis.