Morocco and Syria establish first contact since the fall of al-Assad's regime

After several years without diplomatic relations, Morocco and Syria have resumed contact a few weeks after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad's regime.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita has opened a channel of communication with his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Al-Shaibani, to whom he has conveyed his desire to discuss ways of strengthening relations between the two nations. 

According to an official Syrian statement, Bourita reiterated during the conversation Rabat's support for the Syrian people, stressing respect for the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Moroccan minister also underlined the common ground between the two nations and the importance of strengthening diplomatic relations for mutual benefit.

Shortly after Syrian rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized power, putting an end to the Al-Assad regime after decades in power and completely changing the course of the country, Bourita conveyed Morocco's position on the new situation in the Arab nation, noting that the Kingdom hopes that this new landscape will bring stability to Syria. 

‘Morocco has been closely following the important and rapid developments in Syria,‘ Bourita noted at a press conference at the time, referring to the HTS lightning offensive that culminated in the fall of Al-Assad and the insurgents’ seizure of Damascus.

The head of Moroccan diplomacy recalled Morocco's constant position in support of Syria's territorial integrity, its national sovereignty and the unity of its people. He expressed the hope that the new developments would meet ‘the aspirations of its people and pave the way for a brighter future and further development for the country’.

Morocco, like so many other countries, decided to close its embassy in Damascus at the beginning of the civil war following the repression and violence against civilians by the Syrian government, calling for firm measures to achieve a political transition to a democratic framework that would ensure Syria's stability. 

During the Syrian civil war, Morocco aligned itself with the interests of Western and some Gulf countries in opposition to President Al-Assad's regime. However, unlike other nations, Rabat limited itself to a mainly diplomatic and humanitarian role, rather than a military one.

Rabat provided diplomatic support to the opposition and backed international efforts to resolve the conflict, without getting directly involved in the fighting as other countries did. Morocco also played a key humanitarian role.

Throughout the years of the Syrian conflict, Morocco sent humanitarian aid to refugees, both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries, through non-governmental organisations and international cooperation.