The relationship between Syria and Saudi Arabia, which deteriorated with Saudi’s support to rebels in the Syrian civil war, is going to be improved. Recently, Saudi officials have met with the Syrian President and Syrian officials have met with the Saudi King. According to multiple sources including the BBC, the two countries indicated the resumption of diplomatic ties and flights and agreed on the importance of resolving humanitarian issues, creating an environment to allow aid to reach all areas of Syria, establishing prerequisites for the return of Syrian refugees, stabilizing the situation throughout Syria’s territories and reaching a political settlement, along with helping Syria to fight terrorism. Consequently, the prospect of ending the Syrian crisis has increased.
It is pertinently notable that many diplomatic efforts have been made to end the Syrian civil war by the United Nations, the Gulf Cooperation Council and others. But all the efforts failed to peacefully end the civil war, though they have some small-scale successful achievements including securing ceasefires. But the extent of the conflict in Syria has significantly reduced at present with the victory of the Syrian government forces in most regions with the direct military support of Russia and Iran and there is a growing regional trend toward normalizing relations with the regime of Bashar al-Assad, though opposition armed groups have dominance in northwestern Syria. But the armed fighting continues — although it is now very infrequent — in the northwest and northeast regions of Syria involving the government forces, the rebel groups and others including the remnants of ISIS.
Definitely, the prospect of ending the crisis, which has been going on for more than a decade with the civil war between President Assad and several opposition armed groups including Syrian rebels and Kurdish-led organizations, with renewed diplomatic ties has increased at least somewhat, though it remains unclear whether the improved relationship between the two countries will completely resolve it. This is because Saudi Arabia, which has good relations with several parties in the Syrian conflict, is an important Middle East country and has the ability to manage several players in Syria. Its improving relations with Iran — an important party in the conflict — and Russia can make it more successful in helping end the crisis at present than in the past.
But ending the Syrian crisis especially the armed conflict in the northwestern and northeastern regions and resolving other problems including the refugee problem is not an easy task for Saudi because it is not a dominant party in Syria as it is in Yemen. Many parties including Russia, Iran and Turkey are involved and made the civil war complex. Moreover, there are geopolitical and other challenges. Consequently, their improved relations may not reduce the armed conflict and reach a political solution immediately. But it can somehow help reduce the armed conflict and improve other aspects of the crisis including the refugee crisis and other humanitarian crises and accelerate the political solution process envisioned by the UNSC Resolution 2254.
Though the extent of the civil war, which has thus far killed more than half a million and displaced several million Syrians, has significantly reduced in recent years, the Syrian crisis needs to be ended completely by political means. Definitely, emphasis needs to be given to ending the armed conflict in the northwestern and northeastern regions. For this, a nationwide ceasefire is definitely imperative. Also, the refugee problem — along with other problems including the fate of thousands of detained, disappeared or missing Syrians driven by the civil war—needs to be resolved to desirably end the Syrian crisis. Those Syrian refugees who are willing to come back to their homelands need to be given a chance.
Saudi Arabia needs to strengthen diplomatic efforts to help reach political solutions by ending armed conflict and resolving other aspects of the Syrian crisis. But both parties need to be earnest. Holding several talks may be helpful in reducing the crisis. Accelerating the extant political solution effort, which has remained stalled since March 2022, may be useful. Negotiations need to be held between the government and rebel forces to secure a nationwide ceasefire and resolve other concerns. Rebel forces also need to be earnest. Definitely, a good intention of global and regional powers including Russia, the US and Iran is imperative to completely end the Syrian crisis.
