As many Arab countries have been taking steps toward normalization with the Bashar Assad regime, Bahrain appointed its first envoy to Syria on Thursday after relations soured when the civil war broke out in 2011.

The appointment of Waheed Mubarak Sayyar, reported by Bahrain's state news agency BNA, is part of a diplomatic shift in the Middle East.

Gulf Arab states downgraded and shut missions in Damascus after the Syrian regime crushed the 2011 protests with brute force, triggering a full-blown war. Bahrain has said its embassy and the Syrian diplomatic mission in Manama have remained operational.

Last month, the United Arab Emirates, which reopened its mission to Damascus in late 2018, sent its foreign minister to Damascus, where he met Assad. It has called for Syria to be readmitted to the Arab League.

Abu Dhabi began to reengage with Damascus after decisive gains by pro-regime forces, hoping to increase Arab clout in Syria at the expense of non-Arab Turkey and Iran, which supports Assad.

The UAE was one of several regional states to back opposition groups in Syria. However, its role was less prominent than Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which have not reestablished ties with Damascus.