Italy appoints ambassador to Syria to 'turn spotlight' on country, says foreign minister

Italy has decided to appoint an ambassador to Syria "to turn a spotlight" on the country, its foreign minister said on Friday, making it the first G7 nation to relaunch its diplomatic mission in Damascus since civil war consumed the nation.

Italy recalled all staff from its embassy in Damascus in 2012 and suspended diplomatic activity in Syria to protest at "the unacceptable violence" of Bashar al-Assad's regime against its own citizens.

Assad controls most of Syria after Iran and Russia helped him beat back rebel groups that turned against him 13 years ago, triggering a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions of refugees towards neighbouring countries and Europe.

Stefano Ravagnan, currently the foreign ministry's special envoy for Syria, was named as ambassador. He is due to take up his post shortly, Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told Reuters.

Italy and seven other EU states last week sent a letter to the bloc's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, asking the European Union to play a more active role in the country.

"Syrians continue to leave in large numbers, putting additional strain on neighbouring countries, in a period when tension in the area is running high, risking new refugee waves," the letter seen by Reuters said.

Along with Italy, the letter was signed by Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia. It lamented "the humanitarian situation" in the country which had "further deteriorated" as its economy was "in shambles."

"Borrell mandated the European External Action Service to study what can be done," Tajani said on Friday, adding that naming a new ambassador was "in line with the letter we sent to Borrel ... to turn the spotlight on Syria".

At present six EU embassies are open in Damascus - Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, the Czech Republic and Hungary. None of Italy's Group of Seven partners - the United States, Japan, Britain, Canada, France or Germany - have reinstalled ambassadors to Syria.