Middle East
This handout picture released by the Syrian Presidency Telegram account on May 10, 2023 shows Syrian President Bashar al-Assad meeting with Saudi's ambassador to Jordan, Nayef bin Bandar Al-Sudairy, in Damascus. Photo: Syrian Presidency/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday received an official invitation to attend the Arab League summit in Jeddah, three days following the readmission of Syria to the regional organization.
Saud Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdul Aziz invited the Syrian president to participate in the 32nd session of the Arab League on May 19, Syrian state media reported, more than a decade after Damascus was expelled from the league over its crackdown on protests during the Syrian civil war.
Arab states on Sunday voted to reinstate Syria’s membership in the Arab League 12 years after its suspension following the outbreak of the county’s civil war. The decision was taken upon a general consensus among the member states.
The summit “will enhance joint Arab action to achieve the aspirations of the Arab peoples,” the statement cited Assad as saying, with the invitation being delivered by Riyad’s ambassador to Jordan.
Relations between Arab nations and Syria were broken in 2011 over Damascus’ crackdown on protests that grew into a civil war. Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, supported the rebels while Riyadh’s regional rival, Iran, backed Assad.
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia and Syria said they would restore their diplomatic ties after a 12-year hiatus, consolidating Assad’s political revival within the Arab world.
Last month, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Assad in Damascus, the first such visit since 2011, showing signs of improving relations between both countries.
Despite the recent approach by the Arabs, their Western allies, mainly the US, expressed their dissatisfaction with readmitting Syria into the Arab League, saying that Assad does not deserve it.
During the Arab Spring protests in 2011, Syrian rose up against the country’s longtime president. Protests soon turned violent, leading to a full-scale civil war that has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands and left millions in need of humanitarian aid.
Saud Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdul Aziz invited the Syrian president to participate in the 32nd session of the Arab League on May 19, Syrian state media reported, more than a decade after Damascus was expelled from the league over its crackdown on protests during the Syrian civil war.
Arab states on Sunday voted to reinstate Syria’s membership in the Arab League 12 years after its suspension following the outbreak of the county’s civil war. The decision was taken upon a general consensus among the member states.
The summit “will enhance joint Arab action to achieve the aspirations of the Arab peoples,” the statement cited Assad as saying, with the invitation being delivered by Riyad’s ambassador to Jordan.
Relations between Arab nations and Syria were broken in 2011 over Damascus’ crackdown on protests that grew into a civil war. Gulf countries, particularly Saudi Arabia, supported the rebels while Riyadh’s regional rival, Iran, backed Assad.
On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia and Syria said they would restore their diplomatic ties after a 12-year hiatus, consolidating Assad’s political revival within the Arab world.
Last month, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Assad in Damascus, the first such visit since 2011, showing signs of improving relations between both countries.
Despite the recent approach by the Arabs, their Western allies, mainly the US, expressed their dissatisfaction with readmitting Syria into the Arab League, saying that Assad does not deserve it.
During the Arab Spring protests in 2011, Syrian rose up against the country’s longtime president. Protests soon turned violent, leading to a full-scale civil war that has taken the lives of hundreds of thousands and left millions in need of humanitarian aid.
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