Omani FM visits Syria for talks on regional, international developments

Syria’s official news agency SANA reported that Assad exchanged viewpoints on the latest regional and international developments, and the crises which the region is currently going through.

The Syrian president also discussed the “economic and political challenges imposed on the region” and the available means to confront them with the top Omani diplomat.

Some Arab countries have recently stepped up efforts to normalize ties with Syria as the country’s troops have been making sweeping gains against the foreign-backed terrorists operating to topple the Damascus government.

Lebanon calls for readmitting Syria to Arab LeagueLebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil has called for Syria’s return to the Arab League.

On April 16, Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil called for restoring Syria’s membership in the Arab League.

The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in November 2011, citing alleged crackdown by Damascus on opposition protests. Syria denounced the move as “illegal and a violation of the organization’s charter.”

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said on February 3 that his country will eventually return to the Arab League, stressing that the Damascus government will never surrender to blackmail or accept conditions for the restoration of its membership to the regional organization.

‘Syria to return to Arab League without preconditions’The Syrian deputy foreign minister says his country will not accept any preconditions for its return to the Arab League.

“Those who are trying to ignore Syria or to impose conditions for its return to the Arab League will not succeed, since Syria will not surrender to blackmail and is not primarily concerned with anything other than its domestic problems,” Mekdad said.

He added that certain anti-Syria decisions are being made by some Arab states on the instructions of extra-regional powers.

The issue of possible restoration of Syria’s membership in the Arab League comes especially after a recent move by some Arab countries to re-open their embassies in Damascus.

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry announced in a statement on December 28 last year that work at the kingdom’s embassy in the Syrian Arab Republic was going on while the embassy of the Syrian Arab Republic to Bahrain was carrying out its duties and flights connecting the two countries were operational without interruption.

The United Arab Emirates had earlier officially reopened its embassy in Damascus.

The Emirati Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said the reopening of its embassy “reaffirms the keenness of the United Arab Emirates to restore relations between the two friendly countries to their normal course.”