Source to Al Mayadeen: Syrian FM to visit Algeria, Tunisia next
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An official source tells Al Mayadeen that Syria's top diplomat will make a stop in Algeria after visiting Tunisia to reopen the Syrian Embassy there.
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Former Foreign Minister of Algeria Ramtane Lamamra meets with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad at the Presidential Palace in Damascus on Monday, 26 July 2022. (Syrian Presidency)
An official Algerian source disclosed to Al Mayadeen on Wednesday that the Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad will head to Algeria after his Tunisia visit during his Maghreb tour.
"Al-Miqdad will be present to reopen the Damascus embassy in Tunisia before continuing his Maghreb tour," the source said, noting that the Syrian Foreign Minister "will hold bilateral talks with his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Ataf."
He pointed out that the Syrian FM and Ataf "will revive the supreme committee of bilateral cooperation between the two countries in various fields."
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune will receive the Syrian top diplomat at the presidential palace, the source added.
Earlier today, Syria announced that it will reopen its embassy in Tunisia and appoint an ambassador there after more than a decade of strained ties.
Syria's decision followed a similar move by Tunis on April 3, when Tunisian President Kais Saied instructed his Foreign Minister to begin procedures to appoint an ambassador to Damascus.
#جدة | معالي نائب وزير الخارجية #وليد_الخريجي @W_Elkhereiji يستقبل معالي وزير الخارجية والمغتربين في الجمهورية العربية السورية الدكتور فيصل المقداد، وذلك لدى وصوله إلى مطار الملك عبدالعزيز في مدينة جدة pic.twitter.com/kEddMqqJly
— وزارة الخارجية 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) April 12, 2023
Also on Wednesday, al-Miqdad arrived in Saudi Arabia on the first such trip since the start of the war on Syria almost 12 years ago.
According to the Saudi Foreign Ministry, al-Miqdad flew to Jeddah after an invitation from his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal Bin Farhan. The two top diplomats "held a session of talks on efforts to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis that preserves the unity, security and stability of Syria," the statement specified.
Al-Miqdad and bin Farhan also discussed "facilitating the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland and securing humanitarian access to the affected areas in Syria."
Read more: West Asia slowly pivots from US: Syria, Saudi Arabia to restore ties
Sputnik reported earlier that Riyadh will reopen its embassy in Syria following Eid Al-Fitr. According to the report, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan will visit Damascus ahead of the restoration of the diplomatic mission, during which he will meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Syrian officials.
The Syrian Foreign Minister arrived two days before nine Arab countries will gather in Jeddah on Friday to discuss inviting the Syrian government to attend an Arab League summit next month.
According to sources, the League is currently split on the decision to re-include Syria's membership, with reports stating that Saudi Arabia and the UAE are trying to convince Qatar and Kuwait of its readmission before the May summit takes place.
A spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry told reporters that Qatari diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani would attend the Arab Gulf meeting on Syria but said that Qatar’s stance on its readmission remained unchanged.
Over the past few months, there has been increasing engagement with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Damascus.
The Syrian President has visited the UAE and Oman this year and last month Saudi Arabia said it has started talks with Damascus about resuming consular services.
