The two countries have recently negotiated the resumption of consular services. Saudi Arabia severed relations with Syria in 2012.
The move was seen as a protest against the Syrian government's brutal crackdown on its own people. Syria was expelled from the Arab League in 2011 because of its brutal crackdown. The uprisings developed into a civil war that continues to this day, in which more than 350,000 people lost their lives. The rapprochement is seen as another major political shift in the region.