Alwaght- With the eruption of the Arab uprisings in the region in 2011, Syria plunged in a decade-long crisis that turned it into a haven of takfiri, terrorist, and opposition forces, as well as a ground for ntervention of the Western-Arab-Israeli camp.
As the crisis unfolded, Arab countries, in support of terrorist groups active in Syria, imposed political sanctions on Syria, suspending its membership in the Arab League, closing their embassies in Damascus, and recalling their ambassadors. All these measures, made to topple the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, went nowhere with entry of Damascus allies in the Axis of Resistance, a regional bloc led by Iran, and presence of Russia.
The failure of the project to oust the Assad government, and in particular his re-election in the May 2021 presidential election, caused the Arab countries to resume diplomatic relations with this country. The latest country to send a diplomat to Syria is Oman that sent its Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi to Damascus where he met the Syrian leader.
Al-Busaidi in Damascus; the last steps of Arab détente with Syria
With the escalation of the crisis in Syria, Oman, affected by this situation and in line with countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar, reduced the level of its relations with Syria. Not long after that, Muscat returned to its neutral policy and emphasized diplomatic solution for the crisis.
As the Syrian crisis drew to a close, Oman was the first country to send an ambassador to Damascus in October 2020, and Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad and his accompanying delegation traveled to Muscat in March 2021. And on Monday, Oman's FM met with the Syrian president.
The trip agenda included talks with the Syrian side about bilateral relations. In November 2021, Fahd bin Mohammed Al-Said, deputy prime minister of the Sultanate of Oman met with Bouthaina Shaaban, special advisor to the president of Syria, to discuss relations between Syria and Oman and ways to bolster cooperation.
On January 23, Egyptian FM Sameh Shoukry in a press conference with Omani counterpart commented on the Syrian return to the Arab League.
"We hope that conditions will be available for Syria to return to the Arab domain and become an element supporting Arab national security. We will continue to communicate with Arab countries to achieve this purpose," he said.
These comments lead to the speculation that during the visit to Damascus, the Omani FM tried to pave the way for restoration of Syrian seat at the Arab League. Among the Arab states, Oman was the most successful party in cozying up to Damascus, as after a decade of Syria boycott, some Arab countries want Syria back. 14 Arab embassies are also active in crisis-hit country. Therefore, the visit can lay the foundation for this expected return.
What are the goals behind normalization with Syria?
The normalization with Syria is an outcome of the failure to ouster al-Assad despite years of support to the most heinous terrorist organizations. Not only the Syrian president resisted the heavy pressures but also he held elections and won afresh in May last year.
Understanding the situation in Syria, the Arab countries do not see the continuation of its political and diplomatic sanctions, especially because of Syrian close ties to Iran, in their interests and consider the resumption of relations with Damascus as a win-win game, beneficial to all parties at the end of the road. Moreover, the Arab states see the US withdrawal from Afghanistan as a wake-up call and a scenario that may be repeated at any time in relation to them as Washington's allies. That is another driver behind them seeking to unite Arab ranks and bring peace and stability to the region.
