According to the Syrian National News Agency, on January 30, local time, the United Arab Emirates' ambassador to Syria, Hassan Ahmad al-Shahi, took office and handed over a copy of his credentials to Syrian Prime Minister Faisal Mekdad. This is the first time in nearly 13 years that the UAE has sent an ambassador to Syria.
Mekdad said that Syria appreciates and appreciates the UAE's position in international politics and thanked the UAE for its help during Syria** in February last year. Shahi stressed that he wants to elevate the bilateral relationship to a level that meets the expectations of the people and leaders of the two countries. The two sides also agreed that Syria and the UAE have a "deep and strong" relationship.
Syria's "Motherland" newspaper said that Shahi arrived in Damascus on the 29th local time and was the first ambassador sent by the UAE to Syria since 2011.
On January 30, local time, Syrian Foreign Minister Mekdad (right) held talks with UAE Ambassador to Syria Shahi Source: Visual China.
The Associated Press commented that the UAE's move shows that Syria is reintegrating into the Arab state. Reuters also noted that this is the latest signal of a further warming of relations between Syria and other Arab countries.
After the outbreak of the Syrian civil war in 2011, the League of Arab States suspended Syria's membership, and several Arab countries closed their embassies in Syria. The UAE also recalled its ambassador to Syria this year, while the Syrian embassy in the UAE has remained open.
However, in recent years, with the evolution of the political situation in Syria and the Middle East, Syria's relations with other Arab countries have gradually eased. In 2018, the UAE embassy in Syria reopened, and since then it has been the chargé d'affaires a.i. in charge of foreign affairs.
In November 2021, UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Syria and held talks with Syrian Bashar al-Assad, becoming the highest-level UAE to visit Syria since the outbreak of the Syrian crisis. In March 2022, Assad visited the United Arab Emirates, his first official visit to an Arab country since 2011.
In March 2023, Assad visited the UAE again. Assad and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of the UAE formally discussed how to strengthen bilateral relations, "which reflects the deep historical ties between the peoples of Syria and the UAE," according to the newspaper Motherland. ”
In May 2023, the League of Arab States held an extraordinary meeting at the level of foreign ministers in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, and agreed to restore Syria's membership. According to Bloomberg, the decision ignores warnings from the United States and ends the regional isolation of Syria that has lasted for more than a decade, which means that Washington's influence in the oil-exporting region is weakening.
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