Syria participates in an Arab League session again after more than a decade of isolation

Damascus was recently readmitted and Al Assad could participate in Friday’s summit in Saudi Arabia

May 15. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Government of Syria has put an end to more than a decade of isolation in the Arab League on Monday by participating in a preparatory session for the summit on May 19 in the Saudi city of Jeddah, a week after being readmitted to the organism.

The Syrian delegation is headed by the Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Mohamad Samer al Jalil, who has participated in a meeting of the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League in Jeddah, according to the Syrian state news agency, SANA.

“We thank Algeria for its efforts during its previous presidency of the Arab summit and we congratulate Saudi Arabia for hosting the current session, wishing every success,” he said, before asking Arab countries “to participate in investments in Syria before the promising opportunities and new laws that attract investment”.

The Saudi Economy Minister, Mohamed el Saadan, has applauded “Syria’s return to the Arab League” and has shown his desire to “work with everyone to achieve the objectives”, as reported by the Al Arabiya television channel.

For his part, the deputy secretary general of the Arab League, Hosam Zaki, has applauded the return of Syria to the organization, after its expulsion in 2011 as a result of the start of the war in the Asian country. “The General Secretariat (of the Arab League) will coordinate with the delegation and inform it of all developments for a joint Arab action,” he stressed.

The Syrian Presidency assured last week that the King of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdulaziz, had sent an invitation to the President of Syria, Bashar al Assad, to participate in the summit on May 19.

The reincorporation of Syria into the organization means a new step in the normalization of Syria’s relations with the Arab world, despite the fact that Al Assad has so far shown no willingness to make a political change in the country within the framework of a process of talks with the opposition.

The Syrian president has tried, however, to approach other capitals to obtain support and, especially, financing to revive the Syrian economy and begin reconstruction. In this context, he has used the earthquakes registered in February in southern Turkey, which left thousands dead in the Arab country, as a spearhead to demand funds and international aid.