Tunisia has announced that it plans to reopen a consulate in Syria three years after cutting off diplomatic relations, Reuters reported.
The country has also invited the Syrian ambassador back to Tunisia.
"We will not have an ambassador there, but Tunisia will open a consulate or put in place a charge d'affaires, and a Syria ambassador is welcome to Tunisia, if Syria wishes so," Foreign Minister Taieb Bakouch said.
The minister said having a presence in the war-torn country and allowing a Syrian envoy in Tunisia would help keep track of the 3,000 Tunisians who are currently fighting with Islamist extremists in Iraq and Syria. There is concern that these militants might return home to carry out attacks.
Earlier this month an attack on Bardo National Museum in the capital of Tunis had the international community worrying about the presence of extremists in the country. Birth place of the Arab Sping, Tunisia is often considered a success story of the revolution after the North African nation established a democratically elected government.
