The United Arab Emirates has reopened its embassy in Damascus after a seven year absence, in a bid to normalise ties and potentially return Syria to the Arab League.
The reopening of the embassy is a step towards Syria’s rehabilitation by its Arab peers after its membership in the Arab League was suspended in 2011.
The UAE’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, tweeted that “The UAE decision … came after a conviction that the next stage requires the Arab presence and communication in the Syrian file”, and told Al Arabiya TV that its readmission would require Arab consensus.
The UAE flag was raised at the embassy, shut since the early months of Syria’s conflict nearly eight years ago. The UAE Foreign Ministry said its charge d’ affaires assumed his duties on Thursday. –ME website
