Saudi Arabia has appointed its ambassador to Syria for the first time since the kingdom closed its embassy in Damascus in 2012, after foreign-backed terrorism and violence gripped the country, Press TV reported.

Riyadh's new ambassador to Syria will be Faisal al-Mujfel.

Saudi Arabia had reopened its embassy in Syria earlier this year with a charge d'affaires after the Syrian government reopened its Riyadh embassy last year and appointed a new ambassador in December. 

The re-establishment of relations between Riyadh and Damascus is a new development among a series of moves by regional Arab states to mend fences with Syria.

The Arab countries' decision to re-establish relations with Syria came after the latter’s increasing success in recapturing vast swathes of its territory and turning the tide against the foreign-sponsored terrorists.

Earlier in January, the United Arab Emirates dispatched its first ambassador to Syria after 13 years, following the resumption of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

bd-pratidin/GR