Syrian Foreign Minister to visit Tunisia on Monday: Tunis

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
16 Apr 2023 14:13

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad will pay Tunisia a visit that will show the commitment of Damascus and Tunis to restoring a full-fledged bilateral relationship.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Tehran, Iran, on December 6, 2021 (Anadolu Agency)

The Tunisian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday that Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad will arrive in Tunisia on April 17 for an official three-day visit as the two countries are working on normalizing relations.

"At the invitation of Minister for Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Nabil Ammar, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic Doctor Faisal Mekdad will pay a working visit to our country from April 17-19, 2023," the Tunisian Ministry announced on social media.

According to the statement, the visit will show the commitment of Damascus and Tunis to restoring a full-fledged bilateral relationship.

Tunisia, like many other Arab countries, severed diplomatic ties with Damascus after the start of the war on Syria in 2011.

Earlier in April, Syrian state news agency SANA reported, citing a joint statement of the leadership of the two countries, that Damascus decided to reopen its embassy in Tunis and to appoint an ambassador in response to the initiative of Tunisian President Kais Saied, who announced that his country was raising the level of diplomatic representation in Syria in February.

On Wednesday, Syrian newspaper Al Watan reported, citing sources, that Mekdad's visit to Tunisia would run alongside Tunis' appointing a new ambassador to Syria, whose credentials have already been sent to Damascus.

It was the latest example of Arab outreach to Damascus that has gathered pace since Syria and Turkey were hit by a devastating earthquake in February.

Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad visited the United Arab Emirates, which restored ties in 2018, and Oman this year, and last month Saudi Arabia said it has started talks with Damascus about resuming consular services.

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 Damascus to follow up on the situation of Tunisians in Syria.

Source to Al Mayadeen: Syrian FM to visit Algeria, Tunisia next

In the same context, an official Algerian source disclosed to Al Mayadeen on Wednesday that the Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad will head to Algeria after his Tunisia visit during his Maghreb tour.

The source said the Syrian Foreign Minister "will hold bilateral talks with his Algerian counterpart Ahmed Ataf."

He pointed out that "Mekdad 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.

This comes just a few days after Mekdad visited 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, Mekdad 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.

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.

Qatar says Syria's return to Arab League mere 'speculation'

On the other hand, Qatari Prime Minister Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani stated on Thursday that media rumors concerning the likely resumption of Syria's membership in the Arab League (LAS) were unconfirmed.

Arab sources reported on Tuesday that the Gulf Cooperation Council is scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss Syria's reintegration into the Arab League.

During an interview with Qatar's broadcaster, the Prime Minister called Qatar's position "clear" on the matter, explaining that Syria's suspension came about for reasons and that those reasons still exist.

Syria's issue, according to bin Hamad Al Thani, should be settled politically.