Damascus, Tunis to exchange ambassadors, end decade-long estrangement

Tunisia has sent signals of openness to repairing relations with Syria since President Kais Saied seized power in July 2021.

By Meryem Demirhan

Apr 12, 2023

The Syrian regime's embassy in Tunis was the past site of protests against Bashar al Assad's violent crackdown on protesters in Syria. / Reuters Archive

Syria and Tunisia will reopen their respective embassies, the two countries have said, almost a decade after Tunis severed ties to protest at a deadly crackdown on protesters opposed to Syrian regime leader Bashar al Assad.

On Wednesday, Syrian regime said in a statement it had accepted the appointment of a Tunisian ambassador in Damascus and would reopen its own embassy in Tunis with a new envoy there as well.

The announcement further chipped away at Syria's isolation in the Arab world arising from its decade-long civil war, which killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions.

Tunisia reopened a limited diplomatic mission in Damascus in 2017, in part to help track more than 3,000 Tunisian fighters in Syria.

Two months ago Tunisia sent planes of aid to help Syria cope with the aftermath of two devastating earthquakes that were centred in southern Türkiye and President Kais Saied said he intended to rebuild relations with Damascus.

Since Saied seized almost all powers in July 2021 in what his political opponents have described as a coup, Tunisia has sent signals of openness to repair relations with Syria.

Change in regional approach

After the massive February 6 earthquakes in southern Türkiye and northern Syria, aid from regional rivals began to flow in - as did top-tier visitors with the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan going to Damascus.

Assad in turn travelled to the United Arab Emirates and Oman for talks.

He is also set to receive the Saudi foreign minister who is set to invite him to an Arab League summit, upcoming in Riyadh, for the first time since 2011, sources said.

Syria's return to the 22-member League would be mostly symbolic but reflects a change in the regional approach to the country's conflict.

Last month, sources said Saudi Arabia and Syrian regime had reached an agreement to reopen their embassies after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends later in April.

The Saudi foreign ministry did not confirm an agreement was reached but said it was in talks with the Syrian regime's foreign ministry to resume consular services.