The Syrian President went to Abu Dhabi for his first visit to an Arab country since the beginning in 2011 of the conflict that ravaged his country. He met the Dubai leader earlier in an effort to return to the international scene.
Le Monde with AFP
Bashar al-Assad, at the Ban of the Arab world for a decade, was received Friday, March 18 by the facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed Ben Zayed, to discuss “fraternal relations “Between the two countries, according to the official emiratie WAM agency.
The two men mentioned “cooperation and coordination between the two brother countries” to “contribute to safety, stability and peace in the Arab world and the Middle East,” adds the same source. According to WAM, the two leaders also emphasized “the preservation of the territorial integrity of Syria and the withdrawal of foreign forces”, Mohammed Ben Zayed qualifying the country of “essential pillar of Arab security”.
According to a Syrian official statement, Mohammed Ben Zayed pointed out that “the position of the Emirates is consistent in its support for the territorial integrity of Syria and its stability”. According to the communiqué published by the Syrian News Agency Sana and the Syrian Presidency on Social Networks, “The Crown Prince has expressed the concern of the Emirates to strengthen the cooperation with Syria to respond to the aspirations of the two brothers”. ” / p>
The Minister Emirati Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdallah Ben Zayed Al-Nahyan, had met last November Syrian President in Damascus at the first visit made by a senior official of this Gulf monarchy since the beginning of the war in Syria in 2011.
Progressive normalization
Syria had been excluded from Arab League from the end of 2011, the Arab countries, including those of the Gulf, Protestant against the repression led by the power of Damascus against democracy protests, triggering a devastating war. The repression of the demonstrations has quickly turned into a complex conflict to multiple actors, including several foreign powers and jihadist groups, which has been half a million deaths and has moved millions of people.
In February 2012, the Emirates and other countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) had announced the withdrawal of their ambassadors of Syria, denouncing the “collective massacre” committed by the Syrian power.
But at the end of 2018, Abu Dhabi, which is more and more of his divergent positions on the diplomatic scene, had reopened his embassy in Damascus, while the question of the return of Syria in the Arab League continues to divide. The United Arab Emirates, rich oil countries close to Westerners, mark their difference in the region by recently standardizing their relations with Israel or by displaying their proximity to Russia, in the middle of the Ukrainian crisis.
Another Country du Gulf, Bahrain, who had closed his diplomatic mission to Damascus in March 2012, also announced in 2018 the “prosecution” of the work to his embassy in Syria, signifying his intention to reopen it. At the time Bahrain had said “anxious to continue relations” with Syria.
Bashar al-Assad, who completed his visit at the end of the day Friday, also met with Mohammed Ben Rached Al-Maktoum, the leader of Dubai, the other major emirate of the country where he had landed earlier. This visit of the Syrian President, whose regime now controls two-thirds of Syria, seems to be a step closer to a standardization of Damascus relations and some Arab countries.
If the suspension of Syria to the Arab League does not seem unanimous, another influential Gulf, Qatar, still opposes it. Last month, Doha even welcomed Syrian opposition group leaders, decided to try to unite against President Bashar al-Assad despite their divisions.
In addition to the diplomatic front, the Syrian authorities also seek to revive the links with regional neighbors for the economic reconstruction of the country devastated by the war.