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The visit is Assad’s second in as many years to the oil-rich country – after a trip to Oman last month.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on his first visit to the Gulf state since devastating earthquakes struck Turkey and Syria last month.
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan welcomed Assad and his wife Asma in the capital Abu Dhabi on Sunday, followed by a meeting at the presidential palace, official news agency WAM reported. high level meeting.
Sheikh Mohammed said in a statement on Twitter that the two “had constructive talks aimed at developing the relationship between our two countries”.
“Our discussions also explored ways of increasing cooperation to accelerate stability and progress in Syria and the region,” Sheikh Mohammed added.
The visit is Assad’s second in as many years to the oil-rich country – after a trip to Oman last month. The two visits were his only official engagements in the Arab country since the outbreak of the Syrian war in 2011.
Abu Dhabi, which normalized ties with Assad’s internationally isolated government in 2018, is gearing up for aid efforts after the Feb. 6 earthquake in southeastern Turkey and northern Syria killed tens of thousands. made a contribution.
The Syrian president said Asma, on her first official visit abroad with Assad since 2011, would meet with the Emirati president’s mother, Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, who is considered ” Mother of the Nation”.
I welcome Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to the UAE today, and we held constructive talks aimed at developing our relationship. Our discussions also explored ways to strengthen cooperation to accelerate stability and progress in Syria and the region. pic.twitter.com/QlcIWomFDE
– Mohamed bin Zayed (@MohamedBinZayed) March 19, 2023
The visit marks a continuation of an ongoing thaw in relations between Syria and other Arab states, more than a decade after the Arab League, which has 22 members, suspended Damascus over Assad’s crackdown on protesters and later civilians during the war. membership.
International sympathy after quake appears to hasten years-simmering regional reconciliation
“The UAE’s approach and efforts on Syria are part of a broader vision and broader approach to strengthen Arab and regional stability,” Anwar Gargash, the UAE’s senior presidential adviser, tweeted.
“The UAE’s position is clear that Syria needs to return” to its standing in the Arab world and regain its legitimacy in the region, Gargash said on Twitter.
“His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed confirmed this during his meeting with Assad today,” the adviser added.
The UAE has pledged more than $100 million in aid to quake-hit Syria, the largest amount of any single country so far.
It also dispatched search and rescue teams, provided thousands of tons of emergency relief supplies, and treated Syrian earthquake victims in UAE hospitals.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE foreign minister, last month became the first senior Arab official to visit Syria after the earthquake.
Emirati analyst Abdulkhaleq Abdulla said Abu Dhabi “shares the belief of many Arab countries that now is the time to reconcile with Assad … and see Syria return to the Arab League and the Arab camp”.
“The UAE is leading efforts to reconcile enemies of the past and turn them into friends of tomorrow,” Abdullah told AFP.
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