Bashar Al-Assad and Emirati Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, March 18, 2022 RASHED AL-MANSOORI/AFP/WAM
Bashar al-Assad, expelled from the Arab world for a decade, was received on Friday, March 18, by the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed, to discuss “brotherly relations” between the two countries, according to the official Emirates agency Wam.
The two men spoke of “cooperation and coordination between the two brotherly countries” to “contribute to security, stability and peace in the Arab world and the Middle East,” the same source adds. The two leaders also insisted on “maintaining Syria’s territorial integrity and the withdrawal of foreign troops,” Wam said, while Mohammed bin Zayed called the country “an indispensable pillar of Arab security.”
According to an official Syrian statement, Mohammed bin Zayed stressed that “the position of the Emirates is consistent in supporting the territorial integrity of Syria and its stability.” According to a statement released by the official Syrian news agency Sana and the Syrian President on social media, “The crown prince expressed the interest of the Emirates in strengthening cooperation with Syria to meet the aspirations of the two brotherly peoples.”
Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with the Syrian President in Damascus last November, during the first visit by a senior representative of the Gulf monarchy since the start of the Syrian war in 2011.
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gradual normalization
Syria was expelled from the Arab League at the end of 2011, Arab countries, including the Persian Gulf, protested against the repression carried out by the Damascus authorities against democratic demonstrations. This crackdown quickly turned into a devastating war involving multiple actors, including several foreign powers and jihadist groups, that left half a million people dead and millions forced to flee their homes.
In February 2012, the Emirates and other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announced the withdrawal of their ambassadors from Syria, condemning the “collective massacre” perpetrated by the Syrian authorities.
But at the end of 2018, Abu Dhabi, which is increasingly taking different positions in the diplomatic arena, reopened its embassy in Damascus. The United Arab Emirates, an oil-rich country close to the West, is celebrating its regional difference by recently normalizing its relations with Israel or showing its closeness to Russia in the midst of the Ukraine crisis.
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Another Gulf state, Bahrain, which closed its diplomatic mission in Damascus in March 2012, also announced in 2018 that it would “reopen” its embassy in Syria, signaling its intention to reopen it. Bahrain said at the time that it was “committed to maintaining relations” with Syria.
Bashar al-Assad, who ended his visit late Friday afternoon, also met there with Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, the other major emirate in the country where he landed earlier. This visit by the Syrian president, whose regime now controls two-thirds of Syria, seems like another step towards normalizing relations between Damascus and some Arab countries.
While the removal of Syria from the Arab League no longer seems unanimous, the other powerful Gulf state, Qatar, still opposes it. Last month, Doha even hosted the leaders of Syrian opposition groups determined to try to unite against President Bashar al-Assad despite their differences.
In addition to the diplomatic front, the Syrian authorities are also seeking to re-establish ties with neighbors in the region in order to rebuild the war-torn country economically.
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