Damascus Reinstates Diplomats Who Previously Defected from the Syrian Regime

On Monday, Assad al-Shaibani, the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Syrian Interim Government, signed a decree reinstating a group of diplomats who had previously defected from the Syrian regime years ago, following his meeting with them at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs headquarters in Damascus.

During the meeting, al-Shaibani conveyed the greetings of Interim Prime Minister Ahmad al-Shar’a to the returning diplomats, affirming that their return represents a step within the framework of “restoring national competencies.” He noted that the coming phase in Syria requires mobilizing all expertise to contribute to rebuilding diplomatic work and state institutions.

Al-Shaibani added that the diplomatic institution is entering a new phase that requires overcoming the years of previous division, explaining that the returning diplomats will soon assume their duties according to the ministry’s needs and their respective specializations.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not disclose the number of diplomats covered by the decree or the positions they will occupy, in what is considered the first step of its kind since the wave of defections that affected the Syrian diplomatic corps during the years of conflict.