Syria’s membership in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), frozen since 2012, was re-activated during a meeting of the 57-member group in Jeddah on Friday, a Turkish diplomatic source said.
In December, Syrian rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled Bashar al-Assad after an 11-year civil war, ending his five-decade rule. Syria’s new government has since sought to rebuild ties with Arab nations, Western powers, and others.
The source said an initiative put forth by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the OIC’s foreign minister’s meeting to re-activate Syria’s membership was accepted, after the group in August 2012 decided to freeze its participation over the war in Syria.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani was called into the meeting to take Syria’s seat after the vote, the source said. A video shared by Turkey’s Foreign Ministry showed members applauding as the minister entered the room.
NATO member Turkey has backed rebels looking to oust Assad for years. It is a close ally and supporter of the new Islamist government in Damascus, vowing to help rebuild the country and help them train their armed forces.
Last month, Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa received an invitation from Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to participate in an Arab League summit in Cairo, a major step in rebuilding ties with the Arab world after Assad’s downfall.Â
(Reuters)
