The President of Syria Bashar al-Assad met with Emirati authorities on Sunday in Abu Dhabi on his second trip to the Gulf to spark renewed efforts to reunite Damascus with the Arab world.
“During high-level discussions at the presidential palace, the President of the UAE Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Assad and his wife Asma in the capital,” according to the official news agency WAM.
“We held constructive talks aimed at developing relations between our two countries,” the Emirati President said in a statement.
“Our discussions also explored ways of enhancing cooperation to accelerate stability and progress in Syria and the region,” Sheikh Mohamed added.
According to analysts, Damascus’ relations with Middle Eastern nations that had so far resisted normalization after more than a decade of conflict may benefit from the diplomatic momentum created in the wake of the earthquake.
Anwar Gargash, a senior advisor to the Emirati president, said that the UAE’s strategy and actions towards Syria were part of a larger strategy and deeper vision aimed at enhancing Arab and regional stability.
“The UAE’s position is clear regarding the need for Syria to return to” its place in the Arab world and regain legitimacy in the region, Gargash said on Twitter.
According to a statement released by the Syrian presidency, Assad hailed the UAE’s contribution to improving ties among Arab nations during their meeting on Sunday.
The Syrian president criticized the idea of cutting links between Arab governments as an “incorrect paradigm in politics,” adding that contacts should be “fraternal,” according to the statement.
