Diplomatic relations between Tunisia and Syria will be restored, the two countries announced on Wednesday April 12 in a joint press release, one more step towards the reintegration of Syria into the Arab fold.
According to the statement, Syria will reopen its embassy in Tunisia and appoint an ambassador there, following a similar announcement from Tunis on April 3.
The two countries had severed diplomatic relations in 2012 after the start of the war in Syria.
Reintegration of Syria
This announcement comes as several Arab countries seem in favor of reintegrating Syria into the Arab League, from which it was excluded at the end of 2011. Nine Arab countries were invited to Saudi Arabia to discuss a possible return on Friday. of Syria in this organization which is holding its next summit on May 19 in the kingdom, according to Qatar.
Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed had asked his Foreign Minister on April 3 to begin procedures to appoint an ambassador to Damascus.
"
In response to the initiative of the President of the Republic of Tunisia (...) the Syrian government has decided to reopen the Syrian embassy in Tunisia and to appoint an ambassador there soon
", announced the joint press release published by the official Syrian agency Sana.
Bloody repression
Tunis expelled the Syrian ambassador in 2012 to protest against the bloody repression carried out by the Syrian government against its opponents at the start of the war.
The severance of relations was strongly criticized at the time by the Tunisian opposition.
In 2015, Tunisia took a step towards restoring diplomatic relations by appointing a consular representative to Damascus to "
monitor
" the situation of Tunisians in Syria.
Syria had done the same.
After years of boycotting, Arab countries have recently demonstrated their desire to get closer to Damascus, particularly after the earthquake in Syria in early February, countries in the region, such as the United Arab Emirates, having intensified their contacts and sent aid.
