Syrian leader receives credentials from Bahrain ambassador

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — A new ambassador from Bahrain has formally taken up his post in Syria, the country’s first full diplomatic mission there in more than a decade as Damascus continues to improve its relations with Gulf Arab states. President Bashar Assad received the credentials of Ambassador Waheed Mubarak Sayyar in an official ceremony on Sunday also attended by Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad. Sayyar was appointed in December and recently moved to Damascus. Assad has been gradually reintegrating into mainstream regional acceptance. His visit to the United Arab Emirates in March was the first such trip to an Arab country since Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011. Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League and boycotted by its neighbors after the conflict broke out.