The embassy in Damascus could not be closed completely as there were still eight Malaysian students in Syria who were refusing to return home, Anifah said.
There were 130 Malaysian students registered with the embassy, most of whom had been evacuated by the Malaysian government or had returned home by themselves.
The Malaysian government had plan to close the embassy after all students were evacuated.
"For the moment, we cannot shut down the embassy, as our officers there need to manage the Malaysians," said Anifah. (AK)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
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