Syria, Saudi Arabia to reopen missions, restoring ties severed by war

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Syria’s President Bashar Assad cemented his return to the Arab fold Tuesday when leading Sunni power Saudi Arabia, which long backed rebel groups opposed to the regime, said its diplomats would resume work in the country.

The restoration of diplomatic ties, later confirmed by Damascus, came more than a decade after Riyadh withdrew its representatives during Syria’s civil war, and two days after the Arab League bloc ended Syria’s years-long suspension.

The kingdom “has decided to resume the work of its diplomatic mission in Syria,” Riyadh’s foreign ministry said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency, saying it would seek to “develop joint Arab action”. READ MORE