Bahrain appoints ambassador to Damascus

Move comes as growing number of Arab countries revive ties with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad

Bahrain's King Hamad said in a royal decree that the appointment of Waheed Mubarak Sayyar as ambassador will be effective from Thursday. Photo: Bahrain News Agency

Bahrain's King Hamad on Thursday appointed the kingdom's first ambassador to Syria since it downgraded ties with Damascus early in the Syrian conflict.

The king said in a royal decree that the appointment of Waheed Mubarak Sayyar as ambassador will be effective from Thursday, official news agency BNA reported.

A growing number of Arab states have begun to revive ties with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad after breaking off relations as the country slid into civil war.

Last month, senior diplomats and officials in the region told The National that several countries championing the drive to re-engage with Syria were seeking a mechanism and consensus to readmit Damascus to the Arab League.

The Cairo-based regional diplomatic body expelled Syria in 2012 over the regime's brutal crackdown on pro-reform and democracy protesters that ignited the civil conflict that still divides the country.

The UAE reopened its embassy in Damascus in December 2018 and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, met Mr Al Assad in the Syrian capital in November.

Oman became the first Gulf state to reinstate an ambassador to Syria in October last year.