The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Syria-Bahrain ties continue to develop with bilateral talks, arrival of ambassador

Bahrain, like its ally the United Arab Emirates, is working to reestablish good ties with Syria.

There have been a few developments in Syria-Bahrain relations recently. 

On June 19, Bahrain’s new Ambassador to Syria Waheed Mubarak Sayyar presented his credentials to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to the official Bahrain News Agency. Sayyar was first nominated to the ambassadorship back in December. 

On June 23, Sayyar discussed cooperation in the economic, trade, health, scientific, cultural, tourism and transportation sectors with Syrian Prime Minister Hussein Arnous. 

Yesterday, Sayyar met with the Syrian Ministry of Communications and Technology to discuss working together on the “digital transformation” and exchanging technical expertise, according to Syria’s official news agency SANA. 

Why it matters: Like other Gulf states, Bahrain originally supported the opposition in the Syrian civil war. The kingdom later recalibrated its position and pursued rapprochement with the Assad government, which has now retaken most of the country. Sayyar’s appointment was a major milestone for Bahrain-Syria relations. 

Bahrain’s ally the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also publicly reached out to Assad recently. Last November, UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with the Syrian leader in Damascus. The UAE has also called for Syria to be readmitted into the Arab League. 

Bahrain runs the risk of angering the United States by reaching out to Syria. In March, the US State Department said it was “troubled” by Assad’s visit to the UAE. 

Know more: Bahrain-Syria relations have developed outside of politics as well recently. In March, Syria’s Cham Wings Airlines started flights to Bahrain. 

The following Arab countries have formal diplomatic relations with Syria: Bahrain, the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Iraq.

 

 

 

Source: Al-Monitor

 

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of the Observatory.