Syria Decides to Reopen its Consulate General in Erbil
Syria has decided to reopen its consulate general in Erbil to provide consular and legal services to the large Syrian population in the Kurdistan Region and to normalize diplomatic relations.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The Syrian government has decided to reopen its consulate general in Erbil as part of broader efforts to reorganize and normalize its diplomatic relations and expand its official presence across the region.
On Wednesday, Syrian authorities announced the decision to open a consulate in the Kurdistan Region, marking the first formal Syrian consular representation in the Region.
Mohammad Taha Ahmad, head of the Arab dossier at Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told Kurdistan24 in a special statement that the decision was taken under the directives of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani.
“Under the guidance of Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, a decision has been made to reactivate Syrian embassies and consulates in countries across the region and to normalize diplomatic relations,” Ahmad said.
According to the senior official, the new Syrian consulate in Erbil will operate as part of Syria’s embassy in Baghdad. Its primary mandate will be to provide consular services, legal facilitation, and advisory support to Syrian citizens residing in cities across the Kurdistan Region.
Ahmad explained that the main objective behind opening the consulate is to serve the large number of Syrian citizens who have chosen the Kurdistan Region as a refuge due to instability and difficult living conditions in their home country.
This diplomatic step comes after Syria’s embassy in Baghdad was temporarily closed following the collapse of the former regime in December 2024. The embassy later resumed its activities after raising the country’s new national flag.
Historically, Syria has not maintained any formal consular or diplomatic representation in the Kurdistan Region, with all official dealings previously conducted through its embassy in Baghdad.
The decision to open a consulate in Erbil is also a response to the needs of the large Syrian refugee and displaced population living in the Region. According to the latest figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, out of a total of 343,000 refugees in Iraq, eighty-eight percent are Syrian nationals. Of that number, approximately 240,000 reside in the Kurdistan Region.
Most Syrian displaced persons have sought refuge in the Kurdistan Region since the outbreak of Syria’s internal crisis in 2011. Factors such as shared cultural ties, the hospitality of the people of Kurdistan, and the Region’s relative security and economic stability have been central to hosting and sustaining this large refugee population.