بعد سنوات من القطيعة.. سفارة سورية تستعيد نشاطها في ليبيا

Syria today (Sunday) reopened its embassy in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, after nearly 14 years of closure, in a move that reflects the resumption of Syrian diplomatic presence and the beginning of a new phase in relations between Damascus and Tripoli.

The Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad al-Shibani, arrived today (Sunday) in Tripoli on an official visit aimed at strengthening Syrian-Libyan relations and expanding areas of joint cooperation. He was received by the official in charge of managing the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Al-Taher Al-Baour, as the visit includes participation in the opening ceremonies of the Syrian embassy and meetings with several Libyan officials.

The reopening of the embassy comes after more than 14 years of its operations being halted, in a step that both Damascus and Tripoli say aims to enhance official communication between the two countries and facilitate the follow-up of Syrian citizens' affairs in Libya, in addition to opening a new path for political, economic, and developmental cooperation.

Over the past two years, Syrian-Libyan relations have seen preliminary steps to reactivate them, including raising the Syrian flag over the embassy building in Tripoli in August 2025, signaling the start of practical procedures to resume the diplomatic mission's work. Last June, a delegation from the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs inspected the final preparations for the building, including infrastructure and technical and digital equipment, in preparation for its reopening.

During his discussions in Tripoli, Al-Shibani and Al-Baour explored ways to advance bilateral relations and enhance coordination and consultation on issues of mutual interest, while both sides discussed completing the procedures for the reopening of the Syrian embassy, which contributes to developing diplomatic communication and facilitating the provision of consular services and follow-up on the affairs of the Syrian community.

The talks also addressed activating the joint Libyan-Syrian higher committee and completing the procedures and signing the agreement organizing its work, which opens the door for expanding economic and developmental cooperation in other areas of mutual interest between the two countries.

The return of the embassy holds special significance for the Syrian community in Libya, as the diplomatic mission provides an official channel for offering consular services and following up on citizens' conditions, after a long period during which part of the services had to operate temporarily through Syrian delegations and technical teams.

This step also carries political dimensions that go beyond the consular aspect, as it comes within the framework of efforts by Damascus and Tripoli to rebuild bilateral relations and develop institutional mechanisms for cooperation, including the joint higher committee, which could serve as a framework for discussing economic, investment, and developmental issues between the two countries.

Libya has recently shown support for reactivating relations with Syria, while Damascus received a Libyan government delegation in December 2024, in one of the steps that paved the way for intensifying official communication between the two sides after years of estrangement.

The issues likely to be addressed for cooperation in the upcoming phase include political, security, and economic matters, in addition to the conditions of the two communities, trade exchange, and reactivating previous bilateral agreements. The Libyan embassy in Damascus had indicated in August 2025 that there are 43 agreements between the two countries that are being worked on for reactivation.