A first in years, Syria appoints ambassador to Tunisia
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Syria appoints its first ambassador to Tunisia since the two countries severed diplomatic relations in mid-2011.
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Mohamed Mohamed takes his oath as Syrian Ambassador in Tunisia. (SANA)
The state-run Syrian news agency SANA reported that Mohamed Mohamed has been appointed as Syria's first ambassador to Tunisia since the two countries severed diplomatic ties in mid-2011.
Ambassador Mohamed Mohamed swore the legal oath before Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as the ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Republic of Tunisia. The agency noted that al-Assad wished the ambassador success in his mission.
Syria and Tunisia announced last April that they would reopen their embassies, after nearly a decade of Tunisia severing ties with Damascus.
Syrian authorities stated that "the reopening of the Syrian embassy in Tunisia is a response to the initiative taken by Tunisian President Kais Saied, who appointed an ambassador for his country in Damascus."
The country explained that "there is continuous communication and consultation between the two countries," confirming the ongoing coordination between the foreign ministers of both nations to restore bilateral relations to their normal course.
Tunisian President Kais Saied directed foreign minister, Nabil Ammar, to begin the process of appointing an ambassador to Damascus, after upgrading Tunisia's diplomatic representation in Syria.
In June of last year, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad accepted the credentials of Mohamed Al-Mahjoubi as Tunisia's ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic.
Return of diplomatic relations between Tunisia and Syria
In previous statements, the Tunisian President announced his intention to restore diplomatic relations with Syria.
Earlier this year, Tunisian Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar and his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad discussed ways to restore the bilateral relations between the two countries to their natural course and elevate diplomatic representation.
It is worth noting that Tunisia expelled Syria's Ambassador in 2012 over the war in the country. The diplomatic rupture, undertaken when former President Moncef Marzouki was still in office, was strongly criticized by the opposition at the time.
In 2015, Tunisia took a step toward re-establishing relations when it designated a consular representative to Syria to follow the situation of Tunisians in the war-torn country.
Seeking to track down more than 3,000 extremist Tunisian fighters who were fighting alongside terrorist organizations in Syria, Tunisia returned a limited diplomatic mission to Syria in 2017.
