Syria, under the leadership of President Ahmed Al-Charaa, has officially severed ties with the Polisario. In the presence of Moroccan representatives, the new Syrian authorities declared the separatist movement persona non grata. This decision leaves the Polisario without a key regional backer, reducing its support in the Middle East to just Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran. The new Syrian authorities have officially cut ties with the Polisario, closing the separatist movement's headquarters in Damascus. The decision was made in the presence of a Moroccan delegation currently in the Syrian capital to prepare for the reopening of the kingdom's embassy. «The Syrian authorities have reaffirmed, through this gesture, their commitment to respecting the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom, rejecting any form of support for separatist entities», reported MAP. «This move also demonstrates Syria's firm desire to strengthen bilateral cooperation with Morocco and promote regional stability», the same source added. Awaiting Clarity on Polisario Prisoners The decision to cut ties comes as no surprise. Morocco was among the first countries to recognize the new Syrian authorities. Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, Moroccan diplomacy engaged with the new Syrian Foreign Minister, Asaad Al-Shibani. Nasser Bourita spoke with Al-Shibani by phone on December 30, 2024, and the two ministers met for the first time on March 7 in Mecca, during a ministerial meeting that also included the GCC, Egypt, and Jordan. King Mohammed VI also sent a message of congratulations to Ahmed Al-Charaa on February 4, marking his accession to the presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic during the transitional period. These high-level exchanges paved the way for the resumption of diplomatic relations. The reopening of Morocco's representation in Damascus, closed since 2012, was a decision announced by King Mohammed VI at the Arab League summit in Baghdad on May 17. In his speech, delivered on his behalf by Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, the king stated: «This gesture will open new perspectives in the historical relations between our two countries and peoples». On the sidelines of the Baghdad summit, Bourita met with Al-Shibani to discuss the reopening of the Moroccan embassy. Bourita later announced that a Moroccan technical delegation would visit Syria the following week to assess preparations. The closure of the Polisario office in Damascus, which had operated since the 1980s under Hafez al-Assad's regime, raises expectations that the new Syrian authorities will soon reveal the number of Polisario fighters—who had joined Bashar al-Assad's forces—captured during the conflict. For context, a Washington Post report from last April confirmed the presence of Polisario members in Syrian prisons.
