By Alex Pollock
Gulf Arab foreign ministers and their counterparts from Egypt, Iraq and Jordan discussed Syria’s possible return to the Arab fold at a meeting in Saudi Arabia [14 April], the Saudi Foreign Ministry said in a statement. The meeting, held in the city of Jeddah, was called by Saudi Arabia, amid a recent thaw in regional tensions, but ended without agreement, the statement said. Some Arab states, including regional heavyweights Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, have mended ties with Damascus, in contrast to 2011 when many Western and Arab states boycotted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over his brutal crackdown on protests. However, Syria’s broader normalisation with the Arab world remains a sensitive issue for several countries. Earlier this week, Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, said the original basis for the 2011 suspension of Syria’s membership in the Arab League still stands. Jordan said ahead of a meeting it was pushing a joint Arab peace plan that could end the devastating consequences of the over decade old Syrian conflict, according to a source close to the matter. (Reuters)
Syria and the Arab League
On Friday 14 April, leaders from nine Arab nations – six from the Gulf Cooperation Council (a regional,
intergovernmental, political, and economic union which includes the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman) along with officials from Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq – met together in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to discuss the potential of reintegrating Syria into the regional fold. Since the beginning of Syria’s war in 2011, President Bashar al-Assad’s government has been ostracised from both regional and wider global relationships, including the 22-member Arab League. The Arab League comprises countries in the Middle East and North Africa and is the largest union in the region. While not every member of the Arab League is in favour of reinstating Syria, the League’s next meeting on 19 May will include discussions on how to lessen Mr Assad’s regional isolation. Many Arab nations have either normalised relations with Syria or have expressed openness to restart dialogue with Mr Assad in the past few years, drawing much criticism from Western nations who believe Mr Assad needs to make more concessions before his country should be brought back into global partnerships.
Aron Lund, a member of the Century International Think Tank in New York City said: “Syria’s rehabilitation sends a message to the opposition that [Mr] Assad will triumph in the end and that their foreign backers will betray them.” Western thinkers aren’t the only ones hesitant towards reintegrating Mr Assad’s government. Residents of Idlib, a city in northern Syria that remains under the control of rebel forces, told AFP news agency that they feel “betrayed” by the decision of foreign governments to concede to the Syrian government. One resident, named in AFP as Rama Sifu, a 32-year-old living in Idlib was quoted as saying, “We, the people who live in northern Syria, felt extremely betrayed when we heard about the normalisation with [Mr] Assad. How come after 12 years of struggle and revolution, they come today and tell him: here is your seat back at the Arab League? This is unacceptable, we really felt let down.”
Recent normalisations of diplomatic relationships
Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with Mr Assad in Damascus on Tuesday 18 April, marking the first visit by a Saudi diplomat since 2011. The meeting was the most significant step yet in renewing relations between the two nations. According to Saudi state media, the meeting was held to “preserve Syria’s Arab identity and return it to Arab surroundings.” While no mention was reported of the upcoming Arab League meeting, the two countries did agree to restore diplomatic relations. It is rumoured that Prince bin Farhan will extend an invitation to Mr Assad to join the summit in May. Syria’s foreign minister, Faisal Mikdad, has recently visited Algeria, Tunisia, and Saudi Arabia. He said that his country would not be able to rejoin the Arab League until bilateral relations in the region have improved.
Tunisia: While Saudi’s foreign minister was in Damascus, Mr Mikdad visited Tunisia on a three-day trip to resume relations with the North African country. Tunisia and Syria’s relations were broken in 2012 following the escalation of Syria’s conflict. Mr Mikdad met with Tunisia’s Nabil Ammar on 17 April. Earlier in April, Tunisian President Kais Saied appointed an ambassador in Damascus following Syria’s reopening of its embassy in Tunis. The path toward restoring relations developed quickly following the earthquake that hit Syria and Türkiye in February. Tunisia sent emergency humanitarian aid to Syria and soon thereafter agreed to increase its diplomatic presence in the country.
UAE: The United Arab Emirates began re-engaging with the Syrian government in 2015 after severing relations in 2011. The Emirati administration went from supporting the opposition to withdrawing from the conflict to re-engagement and has recently hosted Mr Assad twice. Mr Assad’s first international trip following the war was to the UAE, and after the most recent meeting in March, UAE president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan said: “Syria has been absent from its brothers for too long, and the time has come for it to return to them.” During Mr Assad’s visit, in which he was accompanied by his wife Asma, he discussed enhanced cooperation and strategies to speed up Syria’s rehabilitation with Sheikh Mohamed.
Syria’s refugees and potential repatriation
Part of the UAE’s proposed strategy for reintegration is the repatriation of the massive population of Syrian refugees who are currently residing in neighbouring countries. In June 2022, Statista recorded the number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon at just over 837,000. Lebanon has since begun repatriation programmes for those who fled Syria due to war, however, even as the Syrian government has gained back control over much of the country, the consistent economic deterioration has caused a new wave of people to leave Syria. With little to no new employment opportunities, according to an INcontext contact in Syria, many people, especially young families, continue to emigrate for better prospects elsewhere. This is leaving Syrian communities, and the wider Church community in the country, with few human resources. Eighteen of Syria’s 37 people groups are considered ‘unreached’ with the Gospel, and while according to the Joshua Project, the evangelical growth rate is 4.2% (the global average is 2.6%), the Church in Syria is currently struggling to reach the local community due to a lack of economic resources and limited transportation to the more isolated areas.
The more isolated areas, specifically the northeast of the country, including rebel-held areas and those affected by the recent earthquakes, are especially vulnerable and in need of assistance. The devastation caused by the earthquake has led to an increase in international engagement with Syria, as many of the Arab nations have provided financial and material support to Syria and Türkiye. The UAE gave $100 million in aid, the most by any individual country, and Emirati hospitals have opened doors to help with the increased need for medical care.
The issue of continued economic decline, a lack of adequate medical care within Syria’s isolated areas, and the tight control of the rebels in the northeast are reasons that some international players are worried that the repatriation of refugees is happening too quickly. Repatriation of refugees is supposed to happen only voluntarily once conditions have been deemed safe in the home country. The criteria to which this standard is measured has been debated and is cause for disagreements between international organisations, governments, and human rights groups. If Syria does resume diplomatic relationships with its neighbours, and if reintegration into the Arab League is a realistic possibility, the potential for economic relief is present. Renewed trade, movement of people, and regional projects focused on stability and development could affect those who have remained in Syria, as well as the potential for repatriation of refugees to a safe and improving Syria. As the Christian Church is also struggling economically, any resources that flow into the country from increased diplomatic relationships also have the potential to positively impact the work of the Church as well.
Throughout Syria’s 12-year conflict, there have been testimonies shared of people who have fled into neighbouring Lebanon, a country more open to Christianity, hearing the Gospel for the first time, and even eventually coming to a believing faith in Christ. Some of the Syrians associated with INcontext partners in Lebanon have shared a desire to return to Syria one day to share the Gospel with those from their home country. So, while the current state of Syria calls for much prayer, thanksgiving can also be acknowledged, as the Lord is working through the conflict. The eventual repatriation of Syrian refugees could also bring a wave of new believers back into the country, thus having a large effect on the Church in the region. Increased migration of people always comes with the potential for Gospel spread, so along with prayers for improvement in political and economic spheres, the greater Church can also pray that the Lord would continue to be glorified amid difficult circumstances and for more and more people to experience the love of Christ throughout the Middle East.
Please join us in prayer for the following:
- For improved economic, political, and social conditions within Syria and for the government to be wise in its decision-making, taking into account the welfare of the people as they engage with foreign partners
- For the Church in Syria to reach more people, and for effective ministries to be created and sustained
- For new believers in refugee host countries to be equipped and emboldened to return to Syria and add to the ongoing work of the Syrian Church
