More than 12 years have passed since the beginning of the Syrian crisis and the terrorist campaign of the Western-Arab axis against Damascus, but today, with the victories of the Syrian resistance forces, the very Arab regimes complicit in the Syrian bloodbath are seeking to restore ties with Damascus under the guise of aiding the victims of the devastating earthquake that recently rocked Syria.

To this end, Cairo and Damascus declared their joint efforts to reestablish diplomatic communication in order to begin a new chapter in their bilateral ties.The landmark visit by a senior Egyptian official to Syria's capital, Damascus, last month, the first in more than a decade, is seen as a fresh episode in Cairo-Damascus ties.Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry landed at Damascus International Airport on February 27 and conferred with his counterpart Faisal Mekdad and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to express solidarity with the Syrian nation in the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck northern Syrian provinces.

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad visited Egypt for the first time since the Syrian conflict began less than a month after Shoukry's trip to Damascus.According to the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad met with Egyptian Foreign Minister Shoukry behind closed doors after landing in Cairo before holding a joint meeting with their respective delegations, during which various dimensions of Egypt-Syria relations, as well as means for enhancing them for the benefit of both nations, were discussed.At this meeting, the means of assisting the Syrian nation in regaining its unity and complete control over Syrian territories, as well as addressing the ever-increasing and severe challenges, such as the aftermath of the recent catastrophic earthquake, were on the agenda.

In this regard, Egypt's foreign minister stated that Cairo fully supports a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis based on Resolution 2254 of the United Nations Security Council, the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, and the need to take the necessary steps to reach a national consensus and build Syrian-Syrian trust. He also emphasised the resumption of deliberations by the Syrian Constitution Drafting Committee.According to Shoukry, a comprehensive solution to the Syrian crisis would minimize foreign interference, restore complete security and stability, preserve Syria's unity and sovereignty, end all forms of terrorism, return refugees, alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people, and ultimately strengthen stability and development.

The Syrian foreign minister also lauded Egypt's assistance to the Syrian earthquake victims, expressing optimism that the next step will be the bolstering of Arab-Arab unity and assistance with Syria's recovery from the ravages of civil war.Secret press accounts indicate that Mekdad and Shoukry's private meeting may result in positive developments, although this has not been officially stated. In this regard, speculations include a summit between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Syria's readmission to the Arab League.

By: F. Najafi