Tunisian President Kais Saied stated yesterday, Friday, that there is no justification for not exchanging ambassadorial appointments between Tunisia and Syria, indicating that the full restoration of diplomatic relations with President Bashar al-Assad's regime might be imminent. Saied told his Foreign Minister Nabil Ammar during a meeting that a decision should be made regarding this matter, according to a video clip published by the president's office on Facebook.
Tunisia had cut diplomatic relations with Syria nearly a decade ago in protest against the crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011, which escalated into an armed conflict resulting in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians and causing millions to flee. Since Saied took control of almost all authorities in July 2021, in what his political opponents described as a coup, Tunisia has shown signs of openness to changing its diplomatic stance towards Syria.
Tunisia had reinstated a limited diplomatic mission in Syria in 2017 to assist in tracking over 3,000 Tunisian fighters who traveled to Syria to join extremist Islamist groups. Last month, Tunisia strengthened its diplomatic mission in Damascus with a diplomat from Beirut. However, with the president announcing that a decision must be made, it is widely expected that the Foreign Ministry will soon appoint an ambassador to Damascus.
Analysts say that Assad is seeking political gain from the earthquake that devastated large parts of Syria and Turkey, pushing for foreign aid to pass through his territory as he aims to shake off his international isolation. Tunisia has sent relief aircraft to Syria, including rescue and civil protection teams, which arrived at the Aleppo Airport controlled by Assad's government.
