Iran (IMNA) - The agreement was reached early Saturday by the foreign ministers of the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan, who met in Jeddah at the request of the kingdom to discuss Syria's return to the fold after years of hostility with the Damascus government.
The Saudi foreign ministry said in a statement that the ministers "exchanged views on the efforts made to reach a political solution to the crisis in Syria that ends all its effects, preserves its unity, security, and stability, as well as its Arab identity, and restores it to its Arab surroundings in a way that achieves the good of its brotherly people."
"The ministers emphasized that the political solution is the only solution to Syria's crisis, and the need for Arab leadership in efforts to end this crisis, including the establishment of necessary mechanisms and the intensification of consultations among Arab countries to ensure the success of these efforts," the statement added.
The senior diplomats emphasized the necessity of battling terrorism in all of its manifestations, as well as state institutions upholding Syria's sovereignty over its territory in order to stop the existence of foreign-backed armed militants and foreign involvement in Syria's internal affairs.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry reported that the ministers also concurred that it is crucial to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria, create the right conditions for aid to reach all of the country's regions, enable Syrian refugees and displaced people to return to their areas, put an end to their suffering, and allow them to do so safely, as well as take additional actions that would help stabilize the situation.
The nine-nation meetings followed Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad's secret visit to Jeddah on Wednesday, the first since the onset of the war, during which Mekdad and his Saudi counterpart discussed "the necessary steps" to re-admit Damascus to the Arab League.
Syria's membership in the Arab League was suspended in 2011, following the outbreak of a foreign-backed insurgency in the nation.
In March 2012, Saudi Arabia shuttered its embassy in Damascus and removed its diplomats. According to media reports, the two countries are "preparing to reopen embassies after Eid al-Fitr," which marks the conclusion of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.
The UAE similarly severed ties with Syria in 2012, a year after Damascus was engulfed in foreign-backed unrest, but restored its embassy in Damascus in 2018.
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