Bahrain’s ruler has expressed readiness to cooperate with Syria’s new government after the overthrow of the Assad regime, as some Arab embassies began resuming work in Damascus.
King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa sent a letter to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) leader Ahmed al-Sharaa – otherwise known by him nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani – telling him the Gulf kingdom was ready to work with Syria’s new authorities.
It makes Khalifa the first Arab leader to communicate with Sharaa following a lightning rebel offensive that saw Damascus captured last Sunday, forcing Bashar al-Assad to escape to Russia.
Khalifa stressed the importance of "preserving Syria's territorial integrity, safety and stability and responding to the aspirations of its people." He also expressed hope that Syria would return to its "authentic role in the Arab League".
Bahrain had previously normalised ties with the Assad regime at the end of 2021, appointing an ambassador to Damascus.
Bahrain also headed the Arab League’s 33rd session in May.
The 22-member body welcomed Assad back last year, after many states cut ties with him at the onset of the Syrian conflict.
Assad's regime brutally cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011 that eventually spiralled into a multi-faceted civil war, dragging in dozens of external powers and armed groups.
Embassies reopen
It remains unclear how Arab states will deal with the new government in Damascus.
Some countries, like Qatar, remained opposed to Assad and never restored ties with him. On Thursday, the HTS-run transitional government said it received reassurances from both Qatar and Turkey that they would reopen their embassies in Damascus soon.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Oman have kept their embassies operating. The latter three states had already reopened their diplomatic missions in the Syrian capital in previous years, normalising ties with Assad.
"The Syrian people will not forget these honourable acts. We hope to build strong relations with countries that respect the will of the people, the sovereignty of the Syrian state and the unity of its territory," the HTS administration said.
Other Arab countries outside the Gulf region including Jordan, Iraq, Egypt and Tunisia have also kept their embassies there open and operating as normal.
Aqaba meetings on Syria
Jordan, which faced numerous issues with Assad, including cross-border drug smuggling, announced that it will host Arab and international meetings in the Red Sea city of Aqaba on Saturday to discuss the situation in Syria.
The kingdom’s foreign ministry said in a statement that two meetings will be held, the first being for the Arab Ministerial Liaison Committee on Syria, formed in 2023 after Syria’s return to the league. That committee includes Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, and the Arab League secretariat-general.
The second meeting will be for Arab foreign ministers along with their Turkish and US counterparts, the EU’s former foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, as well as the UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen.
Amman said the meetings will discuss ways to support an inclusive Syrian-led political process to achieve a transitional process in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254 – adopted nine years ago – "which meets the aspirations of the Syrian people, ensures the rebuilding of Syrian state institutions, and preserves Syria’s unity, territorial integrity, sovereignty, security, stability, and the rights of all its citizens".