LONDON: Syria has reopened its London embassy, the Middle Eastern country said, its latest step in restoring diplomatic ties globally since ex-leader Bashar al-Assad was ousted last year.&nbsp;Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani presided over a ceremony at the central London embassy on Thursday, raising the national flag and &quot;signaling the resumption of its activity after a 14-year closure&quot;, a statement from the Syrian foreign ministry said.&nbsp;A photo posted on Shaibani&#39;s X account showed him on the embassy balcony, waving to a crowd of people below including some holding Syrian flags.&nbsp;&quot;After years of isolation imposed by the chemical Assad regime, we are today reopening the Syrian embassy in London. Syria returns to the world with its free identity,&quot; al-Shaibani posted on X, referring to Assad&#39;s alleged use of chemical weapons.&nbsp;Ann Snow, the UK&#39;s Special Representative for Syria, also posted her support on X.&nbsp;&quot;Today I was proud to witness Syrian Foreign Minister raise the flag over the Embassy in London,a historic moment,&quot; she wrote.&nbsp;During his visit to London, al-Shaibani met his British counterpart Yvette Cooper and discussed &quot;prospects for developing Syrian-British relations, and ways of strengthening cooperation in various fields&quot;, the Syrian foreign ministry said.&nbsp;The reopening is the latest example of Damascus&#39;s growing efforts to rebuild its diplomatic presence after years of international isolation under the Assad regime.&nbsp;But since Assad&#39;s overthrow in December 2024, Syria, led by interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa, has moved quickly to restore diplomatic ties across the world.&nbsp;Earlier this week, Sharaa met US President Donald Trump at the White House marking a stunning turnaround for the man once on Washington&#39;s terrorism list and with a bounty on his head.&nbsp;The group Sharaa once led, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), was formerly affiliated with Al-Qaeda.&nbsp;But since taking power, he has pledged to dissolve all armed factions including HTS and to re-engage with Western governments.&nbsp;The UK removed HTS from its list of banned terrorists&rsquo; organizations in October, paving the way for renewed relations.&nbsp;Former UK foreign secretary David Lammy met Sharaa in Damascus in July, announcing the restoration of diplomatic ties more than a decade after they were severed.

United Kingdom

Syria has reopened its London embassy as it restores global ties. Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani raised the flag and met UK officials, marking another step in rebuilding relations.

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Syria reopens London embassy amid global diplomatic push