Egypt rejects Syrian ambassador as ties strain under Sharaa

Syria’s nominee for ambassador to Egypt was rejected by Cairo due to concerns about his Islamist background, according to a report on Monday, potentially complicating efforts to normalize ties between the two countries.

What happened: The pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat reported that Egypt has “reservations” and “objections” to some members of the Syrian diplomatic mission, including Mohammed Taha al-Ahmed, whom Damascus has nominated as ambassador.

Syria sent a letter to Egypt informing it of Ahmed’s nomination, but Egypt has yet to approve him, reportedly describing him as an “inappropriate person because of his political background.” Egypt has also not issued visas for most members of the mission, according to Asharq al-Awsat.

The outlet did not specify when Ahmed was nominated or when Egypt expressed concerns about his background, but it said the diplomat accompanied Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to Cairo in May.