Tunisia’s Saied says keen to resume ties with Syria

By Yosra Ounas

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) – Tunisia is keen on resuming the path of normal bilateral relations with Syria, Tunisian President Kais Saied said on Tuesday.

Speaking during a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad in Tunis, Saied said his country is determined to preserve the "solid and historical ties of brotherhood and cooperation binding Tunisia and Syria," according to a statement by the Tunisian Presidency.

Mekdad, for his part, described Saied's decision to resume ties with Syria as "bold and courageous."

"We in Syria are very satisfied with the relations that connect our countries," Mekdad said.

He added that the Syrian Embassy in Tunis will be reopened in the coming days, adding that the new Syrian ambassador will resume his work in Tunisia soon.

Mekdad arrived in Tunisia on Monday for a three-day visit, the first by a Syrian official to the North African country since the two countries severed their relations in 2011 over the Bashar Al-Assad regime’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.

The Syrian regime began to exchange official visits and contacts with several Arab countries in recent months amid reports about a possible resumption of Syria’s membership in the Cairo-based Arab League, which was frozen in 2011.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar