Syria's Bashar al-Assad visits UAE in first trip to Arab state since 2011

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made his first trip to an Arab country since the beginning of the civil war 11 years ago when he arrived in United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Friday. According to a number of experts, this marks a potential boost in Syria’s relations with its Arab neighbouring countries.

In a statement posted on its social media pages, the office of the Syrian president said that he met Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, vice-president and prime minister of the UAE and the ruler of Dubai to discuss expanding bilateral relations between the two countries.

Syria was expelled from the 22-member Arab League around 11 years ago and it led to a boycott from the Arab neighbours. Since then, the civil war has claimed a huge number of lives and it has also displaced almost half of Syria’s population who have fled to various different countries.

However, against the backdrop of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the visit is a clear indication that the Arab countries are ready to re-engage with Syria. Assad, earlier, extended his complete support to Russian president Vladimir Putin regarding his invasion of Ukrainian cities.

The UAE reopened its official embassy in Syria back in 2018 and that was considered as a positive sign from the Arab nation. In 2021, UAE foreign minister flew to Damascus for a private meeting with Assad and it was the first time that the country’s top diplomat has visited Syria since 2011.

The official report further stated that Sheikh Mohammed expressed his hope “this visit would be the beginning of peace and stability for Syria and the entire region”.

It also said that Assad briefed Sheikh Mohammed on the latest developments in Syria and the two leaders discussed mutual interests in the Arab world. Assad was reported to have left the UAE later on Friday from Abu Dhabi.