Tunisia's foreign minister says that diplomatic relations with Syria will be restored at a consular level, following a long hiatus that began during the Arab Spring.

Taieb Baccouche told journalists Thursday that Syria had responded positively to the suggestion to restore relations, which were cut in February 2012.

Tunisia's then president, rights defender Moncef Marzouki, took a strong stance against the government of Bashar Assad and cut relations in reaction to Syria's suppression of pro-democracy uprisings.

The decision has been criticized within Syria, especially by families of Tunisians who disappeared in Syria after the breakdown of consular relations hindered their repatriation.