Syria reopens embassy in Libya after 14 years

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syria reopened its embassy in Libya on Sunday after 14 years, restoring a diplomatic presence in a country that remains politically divided between rival administrations.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani attended the reopening ceremony in the capital Tripoli, saying the move would strengthen bilateral ties and improve consular services for Syrians living in Libya.

“We announce the resumption of operations at the Embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic in the brotherly State of Libya following a hiatus of nearly fourteen years,” Shaibani posted on X, stating that the move “strengthens the bilateral relations” and improves consular services for Syrian citizens in Libya.

The embassy was closed in 2012 after Libya's then-Transitional National Council recognized the Syrian opposition during the uprising against former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Diplomatic relations were subsequently severed.

The reopening comes as Syria seeks to rebuild diplomatic ties following the ousting of Assad in December 2024, when rebel forces captured Damascus and ended more than five decades of Baathist rule.

Libya, meanwhile, has remained divided since the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. The country is currently split between the internationally recognized Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and based in Tripoli, and a rival administration in the east backed by the House of Representatives and military commander Khalifa Haftar.

The political divide complicates diplomatic engagement with Libya, as institutions and authorities in the east and west maintain separate power structures. While Tripoli's government controls the capital and much of western Libya, Haftar's forces exercise de facto control over large parts of the east and south.

The reopening of the Syrian embassy therefore restores formal diplomatic activity in Tripoli but does not in itself resolve the question of Syria's engagement with Libya's rival authorities.

Shaibani and Libyan Acting Foreign Minister Taher al-Baour also signed an agreement to reactivate the Libyan-Syrian Joint Higher Committee, updating its framework to reflect political developments in both countries.

Baour affirmed Libya's support for Syria during the embassy opening, calling for renewed cooperation between the two countries, according to the state-run Libyan News Agency.

Baour said the reopening offered an opportunity to revive the Libyan-Syrian Joint Higher Committee, a mechanism previously used to promote economic and development cooperation. He expressed confidence in Syria's ability to "build a strong, cohesive state" despite ongoing challenges.

The reopening of the embassy is part of wider efforts by Syria's new authorities to restore diplomatic missions abroad after years of international isolation. Syria has reopened or moved to reactivate several embassies since Assad's fall, including missions in Washington and London.

The Syrian government has also sought to rebuild relations with Arab and Western states as it works to reintegrate the country into the international diplomatic system.