Just a day after it was revealed that Cyprus is in the process of soon reopening its embassy in Syria, a Syrian journalist has noticed that the Greek and European Union flags have once again been raised on the long-vacated Greek Embassy in Damascus.
Syrian journalist Sara Salloum tweeted that Greece is preparing to reopen its embassy "within weeks."
رفع العلم اليوناني فوق السفارة اليونانية بدمشق تحضيراً لافتتاحها مجدداً خلال أسابيع. pic.twitter.com/wtwrLAktho
— SARA SALLOUM (@SARASALLOUM963) May 31, 2021
This comes as only yesterday a contract was signed between the Syrian Bar Association and the Chargé d’Affairs of the Cypriot Embassy in Syria, Sivak Avedissian, to rent a new property for the Cypriot Embassy in Damascus.
The reopening of the Cypriot and Greek Embassies in Damascus will make it three of the 27-member European Union having representation in Syria after all countries withdraw their diplomats by December 2012, with the exception of Czechia.
It is recalled that former ambassador to Syria and Russia, Tasia Athanassiou, had been appointed as Special Envoy of Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Syria in May 2020.
It was expected that the reopening of the Greek Embassy in Damascus would soon follow, but there were countless delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision to appoint a Special Envoy for Syria is part of Greece’s steady activity in the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider region in face of Turkey's ever increasing unilateralism and aggression.
In March, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said that Greece considers its relationship with Syria "extremely important."
READ MORE: Cyprus prepares to reopen embassy in Syria.
