Saudi Arabia: Time has not come for embassy to reopen in Syria

The Permanent Representative of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Ambassador Abdullah Bin Yahya Al-Muallami said that Syria must “one day” return to the Arab League.

In an interview with Russia Today, Al-Muallami added that relations between Riyadh and Damascus could be restored “if the Syrian crisis ended and the Syrian factions agreed on the future direction for the country”.

On the possibility of reopening the kingdom’s embassy in Damascus, Al-Muallami said that “there is currently no similar step in the near future because the time has not come yet.”

In January, a pro-regime Syrian news site reported Saudi Arabia wants to restore relations with the government of Bashar Al-Assad following years of official boycott after the 2011 revolution.

Official: US offered Syria president ‘proposal’ to ease his crisis

Al-Watan said reported that Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Abdullah Bin Yahya Al-Muallami, officially invited his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Al-Jaafari, to attend a special ceremony held in honour of the Saudi Minister of State, Fahad Bin Abdullah Al Mubarak, in preparation for Riyadh’s presidency of the G20 Summit.

In December 2018, the UAE announced that it would be reopening its embassy in Damascus marking another significant diplomatic boost for President Bashar Al-Assad. A foreign ministry statement said the move aimed to normalise ties and to curb risks of regional interference in “Arab, Syrian affairs” – an apparent reference to non-Arab Iran, whose support for Al-Assad has been critical to his war effort.

The following day, Bahrain announced that its embassy in Damascus was fully operational.

In January the following year, the UAE, Bahrain, and Oman resumed flights to Damascus.