In Damascus on Tuesday, Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed meets with Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, sending the clearest signal yet that the Arab world is willing to re-engage with strongman Bashar Assad.
Since the eruption of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the UAE diplomat will be the most senior Emirati dignitary to visit the country.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed discussed developing “bilateral cooperation in various fields of common interest and developing cooperation” between the two countries.
A Syrian presidency statement said, “Sheikh Abdullah stressed the UAE’s support for efforts for stability in Syria … expressing his confidence that Syria, under the leadership of President Al-Assad, and the efforts of its people are able to overcome the challenges caused by the war,” the statement read. Al-Assad praised the UAE for its “correct and objective and objective positions” towards Syria.
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During the war, Iran and Russia support’s for Assad, assisted the Syrian leader push back the insurgents, who are now confined to a small area of northwestern Syria.
In the past, UAE was one of several regional powers that backed opposition fighters in Syria’s war. With the Syrian government recapturing much of the country, Arab countries, such as Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt, have made overtures towards al-Assad’s government.
