Saudi Arabia appoints Syria ambassador after more than a decade

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia named a new ambassador to Damascus on Sunday, state media said, more than a year after the two Arab nations resumed ties following a prolonged rift over Syria´s war.

The official Saudi Press Agency said the government had appointed Faisal bin Saud Al-Mejfel as its ambassador to Syria.

The newly appointed envoy, according to the report, said he hoped to “serve the Kingdom´s interests and strengthen the bilateral bonds between the two brotherly nations”.

In May 2023, Saudi Arabia reopened its diplomatic mission in Damascus, which had been closed since 2012, after a surprise China-brokered rapprochement between Riyadh and Tehran, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad´s government.

Also in May last year, Assad attended an Arab League summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah after a 13-year suspension from the regional forum.

A Syrian ambassador began working from Riyadh in December, and Saudi Arabia sent a charge d´affaires to Damascus shortly afterwards.