According to Reuters, three regional sources indicated that Saudi Arabia and Syria have reached an agreement to reopen their embassies over a decade after the two Arab nations severed diplomatic relations.

The three sources added that this diplomatic move could potentially push Syria forward into the Arab fold. Contact between Riyadh and Damascus has advanced since Iran and the kingdom resumed relations on 10 March, after a series of secret talks held in Beijing.

Several GCC states severed ties with Damascus following the breakout of the western-backed war in Syria in 2011, which aimed to dismantle Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Damascus and the kingdom are reportedly preparing to reopen their embassies subsequent to the second half of the Eid al-Fitr Muslim holiday in April, Syrian sources told Reuters.

Saudi Arabia to reopen consulate in Damascushttps://t.co/IqmeHQi89w

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) March 20, 2023

According to a regional source and a Gulf diplomat, this decision was ratified between a Saudi Arabian delegation and a Syrian intelligence official.

However, the Syrian government’s communication office and the Saudi Arabian foreign ministry refused to comment on the subject matter.

Since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, Saudi Arabia has shifted its interest eastward due to Washington’s unrealistic demands of insisting that Riyadh increase its oil production and lower its prices per barrel. 

After Saudi Arabia and Iran announced their resumption of ties, the kingdom approached Assad for normalization negotiations, along with the UAE and Oman. The kingdom has also become more open to the notion of ending the conflict with Yemen since the Saudi-Iran reconciliation.

Assad also visited the UAE on 19 March for talks with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.

The two discussed the issue of stability in West Asia and the necessity of bringing Syria back into the Arab fold after a decade of isolation from western and Gulf countries, the National has reported.

Gulf willingness to restore relations with Syria has increased over the past year and accelerated further following February’s devastating earthquake which struck both Syria and Turkiye.