Egypt has not too long ago put ahead an initiative to facilitate Syria’s return to the Arab League.
Talking at a press convention alongside Omani International Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi in Muscat on Jan. 23, Egyptian International Minister Sameh Shoukry said, “We hope that circumstances will likely be out there for Syria to return to the Arab area and turn out to be a component supporting Arab nationwide safety. We’ll proceed to speak with Arab international locations to realize this objective.”
Egypt selected to launch its initiative from Oman as a result of it is without doubt one of the most outstanding Gulf international locations that enjoys shut relations with the Syrian authorities. In July 2021, Albusaidi informed the Saudi Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that his nation helps Syria’s return to the Arab League.
On Could 31, 2021, Oman’s Sultan Haitham bin Tarik was the primary Gulf chief to congratulate Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on his re-election as president of Syria.
The Omani-Syrian relations weren’t solely restricted to statements. Oman was the primary Arab and Gulf nation that Syrian International Minister Faisal Miqdad visited after taking workplace in March 2021. Throughout his go to, Miqdad stated, “Oman has stood by Syria in its struggle on terrorism and extremism from day one. … All Syrians respect and recognize this Omani stance.”
In October 2015, then-Omani International Minister Yusuf bin Alawi paid a outstanding visit to Syria regardless of the tense Gulf-Syrian relations on the time. In Could 2019, Alawi held talks with Assad in Damascus.
Oman didn’t reduce diplomatic relations with Syria after the struggle in 2011, as did various Arab and Gulf international locations. It did scale back its diplomatic illustration in Syria in 2012, however in October 2020, Oman appointed an envoy to Syria, turning into the primary Gulf Arab nation to revive full diplomatic relations with Damascus.
Extra from Al-Monitor: Try our interview with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr Albusaidi.
Egypt is making an attempt to use the Omani place to persuade the Gulf states to re-admit Syria to the Arab League, particularly Saudi Arabia.
The everlasting consultant of Saudi Arabia to the UN, Abdallah al-Mouallimi, stressed in September 2021 that “the dominion requires that Syria do away with the management of international events, to ensure that it to return to its Arab setting and the Arab League.”
That Saudi stance prompted Syrian Deputy International Minister Bashar Jaafari to attack Saudi Arabia in December 2021, saying, “Saudi Arabia continues to be implementing a non-Arab agenda as a result of Saudi coverage continues to be depending on the Western agenda.”
Egypt tried once more to unify the Arab place when Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune visited Cairo and met together with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Jan. 25. The professional-government el-Balad newspaper stated that Tebboune’s go to to Cairo proves that “there’s Egyptian-Algerian cooperation for Syria’s return to the Arab League.” Algeria agrees with the Egyptian want for Syria to take part within the Arab Summit set for March.
Samir Ghattas, head of the Center East Discussion board for Political and Strategic Research, informed Al-Monitor, “Egypt has at all times sought Syria’s return to the Arab League, particularly after Sisi took workplace and the Egyptian-Syrian relations remarkably improved.”
Shoukry and Miqdad met in New York on Sept. 24, 2021. On Oct. 2, Shoukry stated in a tv interview, “Egypt seeks an lively position in serving to Syria and restoring its place and stature within the Arab nationwide safety.”
Ghattas added, “Oman was the primary Gulf nation to revive ties with the Syrian regime, adopted by the UAE, so the Gulf place towards Syria is regularly altering,’ including that “it’s troublesome for this initiative to alter Saudi Arabia’s onerous stance amid the latter’s considerations over the rising Iranian affect in Damascus.”
