Bahrain appoints first ambassador to Syria in almost 10 years

Manama: The Kingdom of Bahrain has appointed the first ambassador to Syria since it regained ties after breaking ties about 10 years ago due to the outbreak of conflict in Syria, the Bahrain News Agency (BNA) reported.

King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa al-Harifa, announced on Thursday a decree appointing Waheed Mubarak Sayar, who heads the diplomatic mission of Damascus, under the title of “Special Ambassador.”

This makes Bahrain the third Gulf nation to regain relations with Syria. Oman appointed an ambassador to Damascus in 2020, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which resumed its mission to Damascus in November 2021, sent a foreign minister to Damascus to meet President Bashar al-Assad.

After the Syrian government used its power to quell the 2011 protests that turned into civil war, most Arab countries either reduced their diplomatic missions in Damascus or closed their diplomatic missions.