Syria’s Bashar Assad arrived Sunday within the United Arab Emirates, his second go to to the Gulf since a devastating earthquake final month prompted Arab outreach to his internationally remoted authorities.
The journey – Assad’s second to the oil-rich UAE in as a few years – comes after a go to to Oman final month, his solely official engagement in Arab nations because the begin of Syria’s warfare in 2011.
“Bashar Al-Assad, President of the Syrian Arab Republic, arrived immediately (Sunday) within the UAE on an official go to, accompanied by his spouse, Asma,” UAE state media stated.
The Syrian chief was greeted within the capital Abu Dhabi by Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the official information company WAM reported.
Abu Dhabi, which normalized relations with Assad’s authorities in 2018, has led help efforts within the aftermath of the Feb. 6 earthquake that struck southern Türkiye and northern Syria, killing tens of hundreds.
Analysts say a diplomatic momentum generated by help efforts within the quake’s aftermath might bolster Damascus’s relations with Center Jap nations which have up to now resisted normalization after greater than a decade of warfare.
The UAE had pledged over $100 million in help to quake-hit Syria, by far the biggest sum by any nation.
It additionally dispatched a search and rescue crew and supplied hundreds of tonnes of emergency aid gadgets.
The UAE’s overseas minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, visited Syria final month – the primary senior Gulf official to take action because the quake.
Throughout the warfare in Syria, Assad had hardly ever gone overseas, with the notable exception of allies Iran and Russia – the place he visited once more this week and met with President Vladimir Putin.
On Thursday, Iran’s high safety official Ali Shamkhani met the Emirati president in Abu Dhabi and held talks with UAE nationwide safety adviser Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who attended the welcoming ceremony Sunday for Assad on the presidential palace.
The overseas minister of Saudi Arabia, which has additionally despatched quake help to Syria, stated final month a consensus was constructing within the Arab world {that a} new method to Damascus could be wanted to handle humanitarian crises together with the quake.