DUBAI — The United Arab Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus on Thursday to normalize ties and to curb risks of regional interference in “Arab, Syrian affairs.”

The UAE flag was raised at the embassy, shut since the early months of Syria’s conflict nearly eight years ago. The UAE Foreign Ministry said its charge d’affaires assumed his duties on Thursday.

Commenting on the development, the foreign ministry said the UAE wanted to boost the “Arab role in supporting the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syria Arab Republic.”

Anwar Gargash, the UAE Minister os State for Foreign Affairs, said: “The UAE decision...came after a conviction that the next stage requires the Arab presence and communication in the Syrian file.”

Earlier this month, Sudanese President Omar Bashir became the first Arab head of state to visit Damascus since the start of the Syrian conflict, flying into Damascus airport.

The border crossing between Syria and Jordan was reopened in October. A Syrian passenger flight flew to Tunisia on Thursday for the first time in nearly eight years.

The Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in 2011. — Agencies