Tunisia's President Kais Saied gives a speech at the government's swearing-in ceremony at the Carthage Palace outside Tunis, Feb. 27, 2020. (Credit: Fethi Belaid/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo)
Tunisian President Kais Saied has said he plans to restore diplomatic relations with Syria, more than a decade after they were broken off to protest Damascus' repression of its political opposition.
"Nothing can justify the absence of a Tunisian ambassador in Damascus and an ambassador from Syria in Tunis," Saied said during a sit-down with Tunisian foreign minister Nabil Ammar, according to a video released by the presidential office Friday night.
He went on to say that the "question of the regime in Syria is the concern of Syrians alone," rejecting any interference in the affairs and "choices" of others.
Saied said in February he intended to "reinforce the diplomatic representation" of Tunisia in Syria.
Tunisia expelled Syria's ambassador in 2012 over the bloody repression of opponents of President Bashar al-Assad, which provoked that country's civil war.
The diplomatic rupture, undertaken during the mandate of President Moncef Marzouki (2011-14), was strongly criticized by Tunisian opposition at the time.
Tunisia took a step toward re-establishing relations in 2015, when it designated a consular representative to Assad's regime to "follow" the situation of Tunisians in Syria.
Thousands took to the streets of Tunis in October to protest a dramatic power grab by Saied that was later enshrined in a new constitution.
For some Tunisians, the moves sparked fears of a return to autocracy, but they were welcomed by others fed up with high inflation, unemployment and political corruption.
"Nothing can justify the absence of a Tunisian ambassador in Damascus and an ambassador from Syria in Tunis," Saied said during a sit-down with Tunisian...