ROME (AP) 鈥 Italy plans to send an ambassador back to Syria after a decade-long absence, the country鈥檚 foreign minister said, in a diplomatic move that could spark divisions among European Union allies.
Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, speaking in front of relevant parliamentary committees Thursday, announced Rome鈥檚 intention to re-establish diplomatic ties with Syria to prevent Russia from monopolizing diplomatic efforts in the Middle Eastern country.
of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who has remained in power despite widespread Western isolation and civilian casualties since the start of Syria鈥檚 civil war in March 2011.
Peaceful protests against the Assad government 鈥 that spread across much of the Middle East 鈥 were met by a brutal crackdown, and the uprising quickly spiraled into a full-blown civil war. The conflict was further complicated by the intervention of foreign forces on all sides and a rising militancy, first by al-Qaida-linked groups and then until its defeat on the battlefield in 2019.
The war, which has killed nearly half a million people and displaced half the country鈥檚 pre-war population of 23 million, is now largely frozen, despite ongoing low-level fighting.
The country is effectively carved up into areas controlled by the Damascus-based government of Assad, various opposition groups and Syrian Kurdish forces.
In the early days of the conflict, many Western and Arab countries cut off relations with Syria, including Italy, which has since managed Syria-related diplomacy through its embassy in Beirut.
However, since Assad has regained control over most of the territory, neighboring Arab countries have gradually restored relations, with the most symbolically significant move coming last year when .
Tajani said Thursday the EU鈥檚 policy in Syria should be adapted to the 鈥渄evelopment of the situation,鈥 adding that Italy has received support from Austria, Croatia, Greece, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Cyprus and Slovakia.
However, the U.S. and allied countries in Europe have largely continued to hold firm in their stance against Assad鈥檚 government, due to concerns over human rights violations.
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Associated Press writer Abby Sewell contributed from Beirut.
