Syria ended over a decade of exile from the Arab League on Monday. As officials participated in a preparatory session ahead of Friday’s summit in Saudi Arabia.
It is the first time Syrian officials have participated in an Arab League meeting since the body suspended Damascus in November 2011. Its violent crackdown on protests spiralled into a conflict that killed more than 500,000 people and displaced millions.
Earlier this month, the pan-Arab body officially welcomed back Syria’s government, securing President Bashar Al Assad’s return to the Arab fold.
The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia. It has invited Assad to attend Friday’s summit in the Red Sea coastal city of Jeddah. This would be his first since the 2010 meeting in Libya
Regional capitals have gradually been warming to Assad. As he has held onto power. And clawed back lost territory with crucial support from Iran and Russia.
Diplomatic activity picked up after a deadly earthquake struck Syria and Turkey on February 6.
A decision in March by Saudi Arabia and Iran, a close ally of Damascus, to resume ties has also shifted the regional political landscape.
Top diplomats from nine Arab countries discussed the Syria crisis in Saudi Arabia last month. And five regional foreign ministers, including Syria’s met in Jordan on May 1.