The United Arab Emirates announced on Thursday that its embassy in Damascus has reopened after closing due to the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, which has killed more than 400,000 people. In fact, its flag was raised over the building on Thursday.
However, an ambassador will not be immediately stationed, an Emirati government source told CNN.
The development comes as the UAE and Syria are seeking to restore relations, according to a statement from the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, remarking that “the UAE is looking forward to safety and security and stability” coming back to Syria.
“The Arab role in Syria has become more necessary to counter Iran and Turkey’s hold on the region,” tweeted UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash. “It [the reopening] is the fruit of the conviction that the next phase requires Arab presence and communication with Syria for the care of its people, sovereignty and territorial integrity.”