Syrian foreign minister calls for Kuwait’s embassy in Damascus to reopen

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CAIRO (Reuters) – Syria’s new foreign minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani on Monday urged Kuwait to reopen its embassy in Damascus and resume relations with Syria following the downfall of Bashar al-Assad.

His call came during a visit to the Syrian capital by Kuwaiti foreign minister Abdullah Ali Al-Yahya and other diplomats that signalled an openness to establish relations in the wake of the overthrow of Assad by rebel forces in early December.

The Kuwaiti foreign minister and Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwialso met Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa during their visit. Al-Yahya said they discussed regional developments and cooperation.

Speaking at a joint press conference, Syrian foreign minister Shibani said: “We call with all love and joy on brothers in Kuwait to open their embassy in Damascus and resume diplomatic relations very soon.”

Al-Yahya called on the international community to reconsider sanctions imposed on Syria. He also said Kuwait’s leadership also appealed for aid to be sent to Syria urgently.

“The visit expresses our keenness on opening a new page of regional cooperation…we also value the responsiveness of the new administration in Syria to these efforts,” he said.

The Sunni Muslim Arab states boycotted the former Syrian administration after Assad accepted help from Shi’ite, non-Arab Iran and Russia to put down the Sunni-led rebellion against him.

In 2023, the Arab League readmitted Syria after more than a decade of suspension.

(This story has been corrected to fix the year of Syria’s readmission to the Arab League to 2023, not 2013, in paragraph 8)

(Reporting by Ahmed Hagagy, Jaidaa Taha and Muhammad Al Gebaly; Editing by Kevin Liffey and Angus MacSwan)