On Sunday, Hamdi said there were serious consultations with Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki to reopen the Tunisian consulate in Syria’s capital Damascus.

He said a preliminary agreement has been made to reopen the consulate and to move a number of Tunisian diplomats from the Lebanese capital Beirut to Damascus.

Observers say there has been a major shift in Tunisian diplomacy toward some Arab states since Mehdi Jomaa took office as the acting prime minister last month.

Jomaa has given priority to restoring Arab relations and reviving the country’s economy, which has been struggling for three years after the revolution.

Tunisia, the birthplace of pro-democracy protests across North Africa and the Middle East, has been struggling with a democratic changeover since the overthrow of its Western-backed dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in January 2011.

SHI/SHI