The Syrian president Bashar al-Assad arrived tonight at Jeddahthe eve of the Arab League summit in this Saudi Arabian city, Syrian state television reported, after years of isolating the Damascus regime due to the war in Syria.

Assad “arrived at King Abdelaziz International Airport in Jeddah to attend the Arab League summit,” the television network said.

The Syrian president will participate for the first time in more than 10 years in the meeting of the Arab League, thus signing his great return to the diplomatic scene of the Arab world.

The Arab League had expelled the Syrian regime in late 2011 for its brutal crackdown on a popular uprising that turned into a devastating war, before readmitting Syria on May 7.

The United Arab Emirateswho restored their relations with Syria in 2018, have been very active in the reintegration of Damascus into the pan-Arab organization.

The Syrian regime also benefited from a wave of solidarity following the devastating February 6 earthquake in Syria and Turkey.

The Arab League recently underlined the need to play a “leading role” in reaching a settlement in Syria, which has seen nearly half a million war dead and millions of refugees and displaced persons.

THE Syriafor its part, relies on the full normalization of relations with the Arab countries, mainly the wealthy Gulf monarchies, to finance the expensive reconstruction of the country.

Syria’s pro-government al-Watan newspaper wrote that Assad is likely to meet “several leaders during bilateral meetings” on Thursday night and Friday morning.

The summit comes at a time of regional de-escalation, marked by a rapprochement in recent months between the Saudi kingdom and its major regional rival, Iran. Riyadh has also recently restored relations with Damascus, with the operation of its consular services.