In response to the initiative of Kais Saied to appoint an ambassador to his country in Damascus

Syria decides to reopen its embassy in Tunisia and appoint an ambassador at its head

Syria and Tunisia announced in a joint statement today that in response to the initiative of Tunisian President Kais Saied to appoint an ambassador to his country in Damascus, Syria decided to reopen its embassy in Tunisia and appoint an ambassador at its head.

The statement, which was reported by the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA): «In response to the initiative of the President of the Republic of Tunisia, Kais Saied, to appoint an ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic, the Syrian government announced its immediate approval of this appointment, and decided to reopen the Syrian embassy in Tunisia, and appoint an ambassador at its head in the coming period.»

The statement added that «the keenness of both sides to restore Syrian-Tunisian relations to their normal track, consultation and coordination continues between the foreign ministers of the two countries in dedication to the long-standing brotherly ties that unite Syria and Tunisia, and to uphold the values of solidarity and synergy between them, and for the good and interest of their brotherly peoples».

The joint statement between Damascus and Tunisia came ahead of a meeting of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries as well as Jordan, Egypt and Iraq on Friday in Jeddah to discuss views on Syria's return to the Arab League after a break since 2012, AFP reported.

Tunisia became the latest Arab country to restore diplomatic relations with Syria, after severing ties a decade ago.

On the third of this month, Saied asked the Foreign Ministry to start the procedures for appointing a Tunisian ambassador in Damascus. This came after he announced the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries, considering that there is no justification for not exchanging ambassadors between the two countries.

The announcement is the latest step in a regional rapprochement with Syria, a trend that has accelerated since the deadly earthquake in Syria and Turkey on Feb. 6 and the Chinese-mediated restoration of relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Since the devastating earthquake, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has received a torrent of calls and aid from leaders of Arab countries, in solidarity that has accelerated the process of normalizing relations with his regional environment.

The Syrian government is reportedly in talks with Saudi Arabia to reopen embassies in both countries.

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said Saudi Arabia would host the next Arab League summit in May, where most countries hope Syria will return.