Syria regime to reopen Tunisia embassy after more than a decade

The Syrian regime will reopen its diplomatic mission in Tunisia and appoint an ambassador there, it said in a joint statement with Tunis on Wednesday after more than a decade of strained ties.

The regime's decision followed a similar move by Tunisia on 3 April, when President Kais Saied instructed his foreign minister to begin procedures to appoint an ambassador to Damascus.

"In response to the initiative of the President of the Tunisian Republic… the Syrian government… decided to reopen the Syrian embassy in Tunisia, and to appoint an ambassador soon," then Syrian regime's official news agency SANA said quoting the statement.

Tunisia's Saied had said last month he planned to restore diplomatic relations with the regime.

It was the latest example of Arab normalisation with the internationally isolated regime in Damascus that has gathered pace since Syria and Turkey were hit by a devastating earthquake in February.

Since the quake, Syrian regime President Bashar Al-Assad has received supportive messages and aid from Arab leaders - momentum analysts say he could leverage to bolster regional support.

Assad has visited the United Arab Emirates, which restored ties in 2018, and Oman this year, and last month Saudi Arabia said it has started talks about resuming consular services.

Tunisia expelled the Syrian regime's ambassador in 2012 over its brutal suppression of peaceful protesters that triggered more than a decade of civil war which has killed around half a million people and displaced millions more since 2011.

The Syrian embassy in Tunisia became the site of protest against Assad's regime.

The Syrian regime was bolstered when Russia intervened on its side from 2015 and has since regained control over much of the territory it lost in the early stages of the war.

In 2015, Tunisia took a step toward re-establishing relations when it designated a consular representative to Damascus to "follow" the situation of Tunisians in Syria.

Nine Arab countries are set to meet in Saudi Arabia later this week to discuss moves to end Assad's decade-old isolation.

The Arab League, which suspended the Syrian regime in 2011, is expected to hold a summit in Riyadh in May.