Since al-Assad's re-election in May, the UAE has taken steps to strengthen its ties with Syria

Asad travels to UAE on surprise visit, first to Arab country since 2011

PHOTO/SANA - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad

Agencia EFE

19 de marzo de 2022 (13:55 h.)

Tags

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met on Friday with Emirati Prime Minister Mohamed bin Rashid al Maktoum during a surprise visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), his first to an Arab country since the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in 2011.

Al Maktoum received al-Assad and his accompanying delegation at one of his residences in Dubai, where he is emir, a meeting that "took place within the framework of fraternal relations between the two countries," the Syrian presidency said in a statement.

The meeting was also attended by a number of senior officials from the UAE, which cut relations with Damascus between 2012 and 2018 over its role in the armed conflict, and the talks focused on bilateral economic, trade and investment cooperation, according to the statement.

The official Emirati news agency WAM confirmed the Syrian president's visit to the country, adding that the leader also met with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who de facto rules the emirate and is considered the UAE's strongman.

Since al-Assad was re-elected at the polls last May, the UAE has taken some steps to strengthen its ties with Syria, including a trip to the nation by Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who had last been there in May 2011.

In recent months, other countries in the region have made small gestures towards normalising relations with Damascus.

Last October, Jordan's King Abdullah II spoke with al-Assad to coincide with the reopening of a major border crossing between the kingdom and southern Syria, while in mid-2021 there were alleged negotiations with Saudi Arabia to reestablish its embassy in Damascus.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US government has also offered and multiplied its efforts to mediate between the parties, including trips to Moscow by its foreign minister.

Syria is one of the countries most firmly aligned with Russia, whose role was key to keeping Al-Assad in power after the outbreak of civil war there in 2011.