Arab League readmits Syria as relations with Assad normalize

Syria was suspended from the Arab League in 2011 after cracking down on protests against the regime.

 Saudi Arabia hosts a meeting of foreign ministers from Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 14, 2023. (photo credit: SAUDI PRESS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Saudi Arabia hosts a meeting of foreign ministers from Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to discuss Syria's return to the Arab League in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 14, 2023.
(photo credit: SAUDI PRESS AGENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)

Arab League foreign ministers adopted a decision to readmit Syria after more than a decade of suspension on Sunday, a spokesperson for the League said, consolidating a regional push to normalize ties with President Bashar al-Assad.

The decision was taken at a closed meeting of Arab foreign ministers at the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo, said Gamal Roshdy, spokesman for the Arab League's secretary general.

Syria's membership of the Arab League was suspended in 2011 after a bloody crackdown on street protests against Assad that led to a devastating civil war, and many Arab states pulled their envoys out of Damascus.

Split opinions on Syrian readmission to the Arab League

Recently, several Arab states including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, have re-engaged with Syria in high-level visits and meetings, though some, including Qatar, remain opposed to full normalization without a political solution to Syria's conflict.

Arab states have been trying to reach consensus on whether to invite Assad to an Arab League summit on May 19 in Riyadh to discuss the pace of normalizing ties and on what terms Syria could be allowed back.

 Syria's President Bashar al-Assad shakes hands with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Damascus, Syria, in this handout released by SANA on April 18, 2023 (credit: SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad shakes hands with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, in Damascus, Syria, in this handout released by SANA on April 18, 2023 (credit: SANA/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)