Syrian Assad arrives on official visit to UAE By Reuters
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© Reuters. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad meets with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, March 19, 2023 Hamad Al Kaabi/UAE Presidential Court/Handout via REUTERS 2/5
DUBAI (Reuters) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on an official visit Sunday, accompanied by his wife Asma al-Assad, as more Arab states signaled their willingness to ease Damascus’ isolation. .
The visit was celebrated more ceremoniously than his previous trip to the UAE last year, which was his first trip to an Arab state since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, when Gulf states, including the UAE, backed rebels fighting to overthrow Assad.
State media reported that upon his arrival in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, he was greeted by President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and received the canonical salute as his convoy entered the royal palace. Assad’s plane was met by Emirati fighters.
“We had constructive talks aimed at developing relations between our two countries,” Sheikh Mohammed later tweeted. “Our discussions also explored ways to increase cooperation to accelerate stability and progress in Syria and the region.”
The Syrian presidency has said that Asma al-Assad, on her first known official visit abroad with Assad since 2011, will meet with Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, who is the mother of the President of the Emirates and is considered the “mother of the nation” in the UAE.
The UAE, a US ally, has spearheaded a shift in the Middle East toward rekindling ties with Assad, who held talks in Oman last month on his first foreign trip since the devastating earthquake in Syria and Turkey and visited Russia earlier this month.
Saudi Arabia, Qatar and, to a lesser extent, the UAE once supported the rebels against Assad. But in recent years, Abu Dhabi has rebuilt ties with Damascus over US objections as it tries to counter the influence of Iran, which, along with Russia, helped Assad turn the tide against his adversaries.
Regional power Saudi Arabia, which recently reached an agreement with rival Iran to restore bilateral ties, has opened the door to possible dialogue with Damascus, especially on humanitarian issues, saying the Arabs have come to a consensus that isolating Syria is not working.
Qatar, like Washington, has opposed any move to rehabilitate or normalize relations with Assad, citing its government’s brutality during the conflict and the need to make progress towards a political solution.
Hundreds of thousands have died in the Syrian conflict, which has grown out of an uprising against Assad, drawn in numerous foreign powers and split the country.
