Bashar Al-Assad, banned from the Arab world for a decade, was received on Friday March 18 by the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed Ben Zayed, to discuss the “fraternal relations” between the two countries, according to the official Emirati agency Wam.
The two men spoke “cooperation and coordination between the two brotherly countries” in view of “contribute to security, stability and peace in the Arab world and the Middle East”, adds the same source. According to Wam, the two leaders also insisted on “the preservation of the territorial integrity of Syria and the withdrawal of foreign forces”Mohammed Ben Zayed calling the country a “essential pillar of Arab security”.
According to an official Syrian statement, Mohammed Bin Zayed stressed that “the position of the Emirates is consistent in its support for the territorial integrity of Syria and its stability”. According to the statement published by the official Syrian news agency Sana and the Syrian presidency on social networks, “The Crown Prince expressed the concern of the Emirates to strengthen cooperation with Syria to meet the aspirations of the two brotherly peoples”.
Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan met the Syrian president in Damascus last November during the first visit by a senior official of the Gulf monarchy since the start of the war in Syria in 2011. .
Gradual normalization
Syria had been excluded from the Arab League at the end of 2011, the Arab countries, including those of the Gulf, protesting against the repression carried out by the power of Damascus against pro-democracy demonstrations, triggering a devastating war. The crackdown on the protests quickly turned into a complex conflict with multiple actors, including several foreign powers and jihadist groups, that left half a million dead and displaced millions.
In February 2012, the Emirates and other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announced the withdrawal of their ambassadors from Syria, denouncing the “collective slaughter” committed by the Syrian authorities.
But at the end of 2018, Abu Dhabi, which is increasingly assuming its divergent positions on the diplomatic scene, had reopened its embassy in Damascus, while the question of Syria’s return to the Arab League continues to divide. The United Arab Emirates, a rich oil country close to the West, mark their difference in the region by recently normalizing their relations with Israel or by displaying their proximity to Russia, in the midst of the Ukrainian crisis.
Another Gulf country, Bahrain, which closed its diplomatic mission in Damascus in March 2012, also announced in 2018 the “pursuit” work at its embassy in Syria, signifying its intention to reopen it. At the time, Bahrain said to itself “anxious to continue relations” with Syria.
Bashar Al-Assad, who ended his visit at the end of the day on Friday, also met there Mohammed Ben Rashid Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, the other major emirate in the country where he had landed earlier. This visit by the Syrian president, whose regime now controls two-thirds of Syria, seems to be a further step towards normalizing relations between Damascus and certain Arab countries.
While Syria’s suspension from the Arab League no longer seems to be unanimous, another influential Gulf country, Qatar, still opposes it. Last month, Doha even hosted leaders of Syrian opposition groups, determined to try to unite against President Bashar al-Assad despite their divisions.
Besides the diplomatic front, the Syrian authorities are also seeking to revive ties with regional neighbors for the economic reconstruction of the war-torn country.