Yemen announces return of diplomatic mission to Syria after regime change
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani raises the new Syrian flag during a flag raising ceremony at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on April 25, 2025. (AFP Photo)
Yemen will reopen its embassy in Syria on Sunday, the Foreign Ministry announced Friday, marking another diplomatic breakthrough for Damascus following the collapse of the Baath regime last December.
The development comes as regional powers reassess their relationships with Syria in the wake of former President Bashar al-Assad’s flight to Russia, which ended the Baath Party’s 61-year rule that began in 1963.
In a statement, Yemen’s Foreign Ministry described the move as a “historic and diplomatic milestone” that follows instructions from foreign ministers Shaya Zindani of Yemen and Asaad al-Shaibani of Syria.
The ministry emphasized the “historical” and “distinguished” ties between the two “brotherly” countries.
Mohammed Ezzi Baakr has been appointed as chargé d’affaires to head the diplomatic mission in Damascus.
The statement noted that the Iran-backed Houthi group had seized control of the embassy in 2016 with support from the now-ousted Assad regime, underscoring the complex regional dynamics that have influenced diplomatic relations between the two nations.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the reopening will “usher in a new phase of cooperation between Yemen and Syria across various sectors,” though specific areas of collaboration were not detailed.
The restoration of diplomatic ties comes after Assad, who ruled Syria for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia in December, marking a dramatic end to the family dynasty that had maintained control over Syria since his father, Hafez al-Assad, took power in 1970.
Yemen joins a growing number of countries reestablishing formal relations with Damascus as Syria attempts to chart a new political course in the post-Assad era.
