Mon 05 October 2020:
Oman’s late leader Sultan Qaboos had adhered to a strict policy of non-intervention in regional affairs and maintained ties with Syria after the 2011 uprising
Oman has sent an ambassador to Syria, becoming the first Gulf Arab state to do so after they downgraded or shut missions in Damascus in 2012 over attacks by the government there on protests at the start of what turned into a war.
Oman is one of the rare Arab countries that kept diplomatic relations with the Syrian government of President Bashar Al Assad after the 2011 uprising, despite pressure from the United States and other Gulf allies.
Oman’s previous foreign minister, Yusuf bin Alawi, had been to Syria on official visits twice since the uprising broke out in the country.
Bin Alawi visited Damascus in 2015, according to Syria’s official SANA news agency, to discuss ways to “resolve the crisis in Syria”.
Oman’s late leader Sultan Qaboos had adhered to a strict policy of non-intervention in regional affairs and maintained ties with Syria after the 2011 uprising turned into the ongoing violent civil war, saying Oman’s role in the conflict would be to provide humanitarian support.
Some Arab states are seeking reconciliation with Damascus after decisive gains by pro-government forces in the conflict, aiming to expand their clout in Syria at the expense of non-Arab Turkey and Iran.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) re-opened its mission to Damascus in late 2018, in a diplomatic boost to al-Assad, and has a charge d’affaires there.
The UAE was one of several regional states to back rebel groups in Syria, though it maintained a lower profile than other Gulf states like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, who have yet to re-establish ties with Damascus.
Kuwait has said it would reopen its mission in Damascus if there is agreement within the Arab League, which suspended Syria’s membership in 2011.
Photo: Walid al-Muallem, Syria’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister with Oman’s Ambassador Turki bin Mahmood al-Busaidy [Omani News Agency]
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