Syrian diplomat who defected from Assad makes triumphant return to Damascus

On a rainy day in July 2013, Syrian diplomat Ayham Al Ghazzy shut off his phone as he left work at his country’s embassy in Buenos Aires for the last time. It was the beginning of his defection from the regime of former president Bashar Al Assad and he wanted to minimise the chances of being traced.

In the years that followed, Mr Al Ghazzy worked in marketing for IBM in Argentina and in Bahrain, as a political researcher in Jordan, taught diplomatic protocol and even opened a consulting company in the UAE to teach skills such as shorthand. He also advised the Syrian opposition during what turned out to be fruitless UN-sponsored peace talks in Geneva.

His exile, however, ended symbolically last month, when he and some of his comrades received a hero’s welcome at the Foreign Ministry in Damascus under the new government of President Ahmad Al Shara, whose Hayat Tahrir Al Sham forces ended Assad family rule last December.

Mr Al Ghazzy is one of 25 defected diplomats who have been reinstated by the ministry, which is setting about rebuilding Syria's foreign ties but struggling to replace staff seen as loyalists to the former regime. A band of drummers greeted the group at the door of the ministry, while traditional folk songs were sung.

Syria's Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani welcomes the group of returning diplomats back to Damascus. Photo: Sana

“They decided to honour us,” said Mr Al Ghazzy, who expects most of the 25 to be employed in missions outside Syria. “I think that we have proven our expertise in the law, in administration, as well as having contacts abroad and the know-how to address foreign governments.”

The group is a sizeable addition to the ranks of Syrian diplomats. Unlike many of those who have joined the Al Shara government, most of the 25 are not aligned ideologically with HTS, the militant group whose commanders are now holding the levers of power.

Asaad Al Shibani, who was one of the most senior members of HTS, now serves as Foreign Minister. Receiving the diplomats on November 4, Mr Al Shibani, a confidant of Mr Al Shara, told them they form a part of "Syria’s history of dignity", and will now help the country “engage with the world” after many years as an international pariah