- Syrian FM signifies the resumption of official diplomatic ties with Egypt that were cut in 2011.
- Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visits Egypt after an earlier visit.
- The disappearance of enmity between Damascus and Cairo is a shift to resolving differences.
On Saturday, the Syrian FM resumed diplomatic ties as he visits Egypt, a flurry of diplomacy hitting the Arab region, a serious geopolitical shift. After the events of 2011, that is in reversal as Middle Eastern leaders see that President Bashar al-Assad and Damascus cannot be a pariah anymore.
Egypt Welcomes Syrian FM's Visit
FM Mekdad and his counterpart Sameh Shoukry had a warm greeting when he arrived at the foreign ministry of Egypt. The Syrian conflict in 2011 prompted Damascus to be a political pariah, reported Reuters.
Information from an unnamed Egyptian security source stated the visit is but of many steps that will set up the return of the Syrians to the Arab League. Helping the negotiations are Cairo and Riyadh as its sponsors, noted Middle East Eye.
The Arab League was in Cairo when Damascus was removed, and diplomatic envoys were ordered home in 2011.The Syrian civil war caused Assad to be ostracized by Arab and Western nations that saw the war leaving countless dead and a country shattered. The Assad government was sanctioned by the US and its allies for many years.
Isolating Assad Resulted in Severed Diplomatic Ties
Parties strongly opposed are the US and Qatar, who want Assad as a pariah. The US and its Arab ally cite the civil war's alleged brutality and prefer a political solution authored by the US, noted Le Orient Today.
It gets more challenging for those opposed to Damascus to rejoin as the UAE and Saudi Arabia oppose re-entry. These big Arab states are ready to welcome the Syrians even if the west frowns on it.
Images of the two foreign ministers were posted before a bigger forum. Syrian state news agency SANA called the talks bolstering relations more. Shoukry went to Damascus and Ankara last February after the earthquakes.
KSA Says Syria To Return Soon
A statement from Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan informing that discussions for Syrians to be part of the Arab league are ongoing, mentioned by Anadolu Agency.
FM bin Farhan spoke to an Arab outlet and said there are those not okay in the Arab world and that Damascus is being kept a pariah in the Middle East.
Despite the diplomacies and discussions by envoys, that is too early to speculate about. After the cataclysmic quake took lives in Syria and Turkey, he spoke these words. The death toll based on the UN is 6,000 dead and 12,000 hurt in the Syrian earthquakes.
Earlier in 2021, moves to stabilize Damascus and other Arab states, including Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Bahrain, were significant.
Syrian FM Mekdad fulfills his promise and visits Egypt to restart diplomatic ties officially, even as the US and allies allegedly attempt to derail re-entry into the Arab League.
