BREAKING NEWS

Syrian foreign minister to visit Algeria -Algerian state radio

Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad will arrive in Algeria on Saturday, Algerian state radio reported late on Friday, a visit that reinforces Damascus' openness to the Arab world after it was isolated for more than a decade.

The Algerian foreign minister, Ahmed Ataf, will receive the visiting minister, state radio said.

It is expected that Mekdad will also visit Tunis early next week.

Syria and Tunisia agreed on Wednesday to reopen their respective embassies, 11 years after Tunis severed ties to protest a deadly crackdown on demonstrators opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Recent intense diplomatic moves further chipped away at Syria's isolation in the Arab world arising from its decade-long civil war, which killed hundreds of thousands of people, drew in numerous foreign powers and splintered the country, destabilizing the wider region.