Syrian crisis set to wind down in 2019 amid US forces exit

Rebooting diplomatic engagement

The re-capture of key areas has put the Syrian government in a better position to buckle up on the diplomatic levels.

On Nov 18, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad was cited by the pro-government al-Watan newspaper as saying the government welcomes any step conducive to the return of Arab embassies to the capital Damascus.

"We welcome any step that could help in returning the embassies of Arab countries to work in Syria," said Mekdad.

On Thursday afternoon, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) officially reopened its embassy in Syria after six years of closure, marking the first state of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to resume diplomatic work in the war-torn country.

On Dec 16, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir paid a hours-long visit to Damascus, the first Arab leader to do so since the Syrian crisis erupted in 2011, apparently marking a prelude to the restoration of normal Arab relations with Syria, and even its return to the Arab League.

During his brief yet significant visit, the Sudanese president highlighted his country's support to Syria, saying Sudan is ready to provide whatever needed to support the territorial integrity and unity of Syria.

For his part, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said al-Bashir's visit will give a strong push toward restoring the bilateral relations to what they were before the war.

According to al-Watan newspaper, Iraqi President Barham Salih will visit Syria soon to discuss the reopening of the border between the two countries.

On Monday, al-Watan said Ali Mamlouk, chief of Syrian security services, visited Egypt over the weekend upon an official invitation of the Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and held talks with Egyptian officials in Cairo.

On Nov 19, a delegation of Jordanian parliamentarians visited Syria in an attempt to break the ice between the two governments for years.

The more positive Arab attitudes toward Syria come against the division in the Arab world over the Syrian civil war as some countries side with the government while others, such as the Gulf states, openly support the insurgency.

Bassam Abu Abdallah, director of the Center for Strategic Studies at Damascus University, told Xinhua that these diplomatic visits are all indications of detente in 2019, and even the rhetoric of Saudi Arabia on Syria has become less sharp.