After years of isolation, Syrian President attends the Arab League Summit in Jeddah.
After more than 11 years of suspension, Syrian President Bashar-Al-Assad attends the Arab League Summit 2024 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This move comes at a time when most of the Arab states are trying to improve their relations with their regional rivals and move away from Western influence.
This invitation also shows the dominance of Saudi Arabia as a regional leader in convincing other countries to accept Syria’s presence in the Summit. This also depicts the increasing willingness of many Arab countries to normalize their relations with Syria.
About the Arab League Summit 2024
The Arab League has been formed by the countries in the Middle East and parts of Africa in 1945. The main aim behind forming the League was to improve coordination in various political, social and cultural matters among countries and to resolve disputes between various countries. The 2024 Arab League Summit is a meeting of the heads of the states of member countries in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Chair for this year’s Summit is Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammad Bin Salman.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was also invited to the Summit in an effort by Saudi Arabia to mediate in Russia-Ukraine war. Although the Arab states have remained neutral in the war, they have cut their oil production despite several reservations from the US. This has become a point of friction in US- Saudi Arabia relations.
Suspension of Syria from the Arab Summit
The membership of Syria from the Arab League was suspended in 2011, following the Syrian Civil war. The civil war in Syria began as thousands of people who were inspired from the Arab Spring started protesting against Assad’s brutal regime in 2011. This triggered massive violence in the country as the security forces killed a lot of people.
Countries like US, Saudi Arabia and Qatar condemned Assad’s regime and began supporting the rebels fighting against Assad. At the same time, Bashar-Al-Assad received support from Russia and Iran and carried out massive air strikes against the rebels. It is also claimed that the Syrian government led by Assad used biological and chemical weapons on the citizens. Even after years of fighting, the war still continues in Syria taking the lives of innocent citizens. However, in the recent years, the engagement between the Arab States and Syria has been increasing, which serves as a ray of hope for many.
Shift in the politics of Arab world
A policy shift has been observed in the case of the Arab world which is moving forward to restore its ties with regional rivals like Iran, Syria and Israel. Iran and Saudi Arabia has decided to reopen their embassies within two months. It also shows the diminishing influence of USA in the Gulf despite its attempts to intervene in the politics of the Arab countries. Washington has opposed any normalization of ties with Syria, its longtime rival in the Gulf. US have also imposed various sanctions on the Syrian government for its human right violations in the country.
China too has become active in the region as it negotiated an agreement between Riyadh and Iran in March 2024. This highlights the increasing interest of foreign powers in the Gulf region due to presence of minerals and oil resources. Therefore, it remains to be seen that how the Arab countries negotiate their differences to maintain stability in the region and pave way for a peaceful Arab world.
