Pars Today

Top diplomats of Syria and Tunisia have pledged to enhance the level of diplomatic representation amid a new wave of enhancement of ties between Syria and its Arab neighbors.

Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad held a phone conversation with his Tunisian counterpart Nabil Ammar, exchanging congratulations on the fasting holy month of Ramadhan and discussing ways to boost bilateral relations, SANA reported on Wednesday.

Ammar noted that Tunis has decided to strengthen the representation of the Embassy of Tunisia in Damascus and appoint an ambassador to Syria.

For his part, Mekdad appreciated Tunis’s decision, noting that Syria will also re-open its embassy in Tunisia in the coming days with an ambassador as the head of the mission.

The conversation comes as Tunisian President Kais Saied tasked the Foreign Ministry to “initiate procedures for appointing an ambassador of Tunisia in Damascus,” according to an official statement published on the presidency’s Facebook page.

The statement highlighted the “necessity of adhering to the principles of the foreign policy of the Tunisian diplomacy” and said that the country’s “positions abroad stem from the will of its people.”

Back on March 10, Saied announced the decision to restore diplomatic ties with Syria which were cut off almost a decade ago.

"Nothing can justify the absence of a Tunisian ambassador in Damascus and an ambassador from Syria in Tunis," he said during a meeting with his country's foreign affairs minister, according to a video released by the presidential office.

Tunis cut diplomatic relations with Damascus following the start of the foreign-backed war on Syria in 2011.

Tunisia began limited diplomatic links with Syria in 2017, in part to help track more than 3,000 Tunisian militants reportedly fighting in Syria.

However, since Saied took the helm in 2021 and consolidated his power, Tunis has been sending Damascus signals that it is ready to resume full diplomatic ties with it.

ME