A step closer to reality: Syria's return to the Arab League

On November 12th, 2011, Arab foreign ministers decided to suspend Syria's membership in the Arab League during an emergency meeting, claiming that the Syrian government did not comply with the provisions of the Arab initiative to resolve the Syrian crisis.

This decision was made with the approval of 18 countries, while Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen objected, and Iraq abstained from voting. Since then, the Syrian seat has remained empty.

Over time, specifically in 2017, there were talks about Syria returning to the League, as the Algerian Foreign Minister at the time, Abdelkader Messahel, called for Syria's return to the Arab fold on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

However, days passed, and calls for Syria's return to the Arab League increased.

In 2019, the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, announced that there were consultations between Arab countries about Syria's return.
The chances of Syria's return increased in 2022 when Algeria tried to reunite the Arab world while hosting the Arab summit but failed.

Diplomatic sources confirmed to LBCI that after six months, this step is now closer than ever to becoming a reality. The final step will be confirmed by Syria's participation in the Arab Summit in Riyadh in two weeks, as a member and not as an observer.

Moreover, the Jordanian Foreign Minister says that the Arab League will also consider Syria's return to the League.

This Arab openness to Syria, facilitated by the Saudi-Iranian rapprochement, will be discussed at the upcoming emergency meeting of Arab foreign ministers on Sunday, preceded by a meeting of ambassadors on Saturday.