Commercial flights between Syria and Saudi Arabia resumed on Wednesday for the first time in over ten years, marking an improvement in relations between the two countries, according to official Syrian media.
Relations between Syria and Saudi Arabia were severed in 2012 due to the crackdown on anti-government protesters following the outbreak of the war in Syria in 2011.
However, most Arab countries have restored diplomatic relations with Damascus, which was readmitted into the Arab League—consisting of 22 members—last year.
Syria’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ayman Sousan, stated that the resumption of flights is an additional step in the process of developing relations between the two brotherly countries, as reported by the official Syrian news agency SANA.
In May, Syrian pilgrims traveled on a direct flight to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. However, Wednesday’s Syrian Airlines flight to Riyadh represents the return of regular charter flights.
The ongoing Syrian war, now in its 13th year, has reached a stalemate. The central government in Damascus has regained control over most of the territory, while the northwest remains under the control of various opposition groups and Kurdish forces dominate the northeast.
