Syria leader makes first visit to Emirates

AFP , Sunday 13 Apr 2025

Syria's interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, travelled to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday for his first visit since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow, state media said.

syria
File photo: Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa (C) leaves a bilateral room after his meeting with Qatar's Minister of Foreign Affairs during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, in Antalya. AFP

 

In mid-January, Sharaa spoke by phone with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Emirati president, about ways to reinforce ties and "ensure the stability and development of the region," Syria's state news agency SANA said at the time.

On its Telegram channel, SANA on Sunday said Sharaa was travelling with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani to the Gulf country to hold talks on "numerous common issues".

Shaibani visited Abu Dhabi in January.

After more than 13 years of conflict, Syria's new rulers are seeking international support for reconstruction and reviving the sanctions-hit economy.

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