Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the decision by the Arab League’s Council to readmit Syria

On May 7, the Council of Foreign Minister of the League of Arab States decided to readmit the Syrian Arab Republic to the meetings of the Council and all other Arab League bodies.

Moscow welcomes this long hoped-for move, which is a logical result of the dynamic trend to return Syria into the Arab family. For our part, during our contacts with the Arab states we invariably called on them to resume a full-scale relationship with Damascus.

In our opinion, the readmission of Syria, which is a cofounder of the organisation, will help improve the environment in the Middle East and overcome the consequences of the Syria crisis as soon as possible. We hope that Arab countries will increase their support to Syria’s post-conflict reconstruction, which is complicated by the illegitimate unilateral sanctions adopted against Damascus.

We believe that the Arab League Council’s decision has demonstrated the Arab countries’ desire to more closely coordinate their efforts towards settling current regional and international issues and has reaffirmed their resolve to carry on an independent policy on the international stage based on their fundamental interests.