In a bid to restore diplomatic relations, Tunisian President Kais Saied met with Syria’s chief diplomat Faisal Mikdad on Tuesday.
The move comes after a hiatus of over a decade, during which the relationship between the two nations soured in the aftermath of the Arab Spring pro-democracy movements that swept the region.
The meeting was a part of Mikdad’s three-day visit to Tunisia aimed at strengthening ties between the two nations.
President Saied emphasized Tunisia’s commitment to intensifying cooperation on bilateral issues and preserving the historical ties of brotherhood with Damascus.
The Tunisian Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Mikdad’s visit was intended to help restore relations between the two nations.
Earlier this month, the Tunisian President appointed an ambassador to Damascus, after Syria reopened its embassy in Tunis and appointed an ambassador.
Mikdad’s visit to Tunisia is the second leg of his trip, which began in Algeria, one of the few Arab countries that maintained diplomatic relations with Syria during its civil war.
In recent years, as Assad consolidated control over most of the country, Syria’s neighbors have begun to take steps towards rapprochement.
It should be recalled that the two nations severed diplomatic relations in 2012 during the Syrian civil war, which followed President Bashar Assad’s crackdown on mass protests against his rule. Syria was later expelled from the Arab League and widely shunned by Arab governments.
