Arab and international media reports appeared to agree that Syria’s Interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa used his participation in the 4 March emergency Arab Summit in Cairo to gain support and legitimacy for his regime from Arab leaders and the Arab League.
Four months after coming to office, Al-Sharaa’s first visit to Egypt saw him officially received at Cairo International Airport, followed by a bilateral meeting with President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, during which he confirmed his desire to “open a new page in relations between Syria and Egypt”.
In a TV interview with Al-Arabiya channel following the summit, Al-Sharaa described Egypt and Syria as “two wings of one bird”. He noted that while some Arab leaders had visited Damascus, Syria’s foreign minister had undertaken a number of trips to Arab countries and he had himself made some visits, his“visit to Egypt to attend the Arab Summit is highly important to us”.
“I am here not only to attend the Arab Summit on Palestine,but also to affirm my desire to start a new chapter of brotherly relations with Arab countries, especially Egypt,’’he said.
Al-Sharaa went on to voice appreciation for Egyptian efforts to support the unity and integrity of Arab countries and restore regional stability.
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shaibani wrote on X: “We are leaving Egypt after participating in the emergency Arab Summit on Palestine. We held important talks with Arab leaders about the Arab region and its future. We thank the Arab Republic of Egypt for their warm reception and hospitality.”
The Egyptian presidency issued a statement saying that President Al-Sisi had reiterated Egypt’s keenness to support the unity and safety of Syrian lands and its rejection of any “assault” on Syrian territory. The statement added that Al-Sisi urged that a comprehensive political process that includes all Syrians be launched soon.
It is no secret that Cairo had adopted a more cautious approach to the new rulers in Damascus than many of Egypt’s Gulf allies. Days after the change of regime in Syria, President Al-Sisi called for Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity to be preserved, and for the diversity of Syrian society to be respected. He added that Syria’s new rulers had two options, either to rebuild their country or demolish it.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has yet to visit Damascus. He made telephone contact with his Syrian counterpart almost three weeks after the fall of the regime. During this period, Gulf states, particularly Saudi Arabia and Qatar, had welcomed the new regime in Syria and were busy establishing contacts with the country’s new rulers. Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani visited Damascus at the end of January, while Al-Sharaa visited Saudi Arabia on 2 February.
The Egyptian media had regularly denounced Hayaat Tahrir Al-Sham, which took power in Damascus, as an affiliate of Al-Qaeda, and expressed alarm at the connections between Hayaat Tahrir Al-Sham’s officials and the Muslim Brotherhood. Many Egyptian media outlets characterised Al-Sharaa as a “terrorist” and an “American and Turkish puppet”.
The appearance of Al-Sharaa after he gained power in a photo next to the Egyptian Salafist Mahmoud Fathi, sentenced to death in absentia in Egypt over his involvement in the assassination of Egyptian prosecutor-general Hisha m Barakat, sparked anger in Egyptian political and media circles. The broadcasting of a video by an Egyptian jihadist fighting alongside Al-Sharaa in Syria in which he directed insults at the Egyptian regime poured oil on the fire.
Member of the Council of Foreign Affairs Mohamed Hegazi told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that when Hayaat Tahrir Al-Sham, led by Al-Sharaa (formerly known by the nom de guerre Abu Mohamed Al-Golani) took control of Damascus, there were fears in Cairo that Syria would turn into a base for jihadists.
“These fears increased when some Egyptian jihadists and Muslim Brotherhood elements appeared in Damascus, threatening to repeat the same scenario in Egypt,” said Hegazi.
According to Hegazi, the new regime moved quickly to dispel Egypt’s fears. Syria’s foreign minister insisted that Syria would not turn into a base for destabilising Arab countries and that Damascus wanted a strategic relation with Egypt. The new authorities also arrested Egyptian jihadists and expelled Abdel-Rahman Al-Qaradawi, son of the late Muslim Brotherhood’s spiritual leader Youssef Al-Qaradawi and an opponent of the Egyptian government, to Lebanon.
Egyptian-Syrian relations began to thaw when President Al-Sisi congratulated Al-Sharaa on assuming the Syrian presidency at the end of January. Then came the Arab Summit and the meeting between Al-Sisi and Al-Sharaa which Hegazi believes has boosted relations.
Mustafa Kamel Al-Sayed, a professor of political science at Cairo University, says that since coming to power Al-Sharaa has been careful not to antagonise other states, and especially Egypt.
The fruits of Al-Sharaa approach, Al-Sayed argues, were seen when Arab leaders embraced him during the Arab Summit, his first international conference since coming to power.
Al-Sayed believes Al-Sharaa seized on the invitation to the Arab Summit not only to alleviate the fears of Egypt and other countries, but to reassure Syrians that his regime is recognised by Arab states.
During the summit, Al-Sharaa basked in the restoration of Syria’s position within the Arab League, and on the sidelines he met with the leaders of Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority and Yemen, and with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and European Council President Antonio Costa.
Al-Sharaa gained much from the Arab Summit, says Al-Sayed.“Egypt and all Arab countries welcomed him and expressed wishes to normalise relations with his regime, while Al-Sharaa showed the Syrians that his regime is not living in isolation.”
Former Egyptian assistant foreign minister Raouf Saad said that “during the summit, Egypt dealt with Al-Sharaa wisely and with a desire to include him in the Arab fold.”
‘It was clear that Egyptian officials have concluded there is no logic in isolating Al-Sharaa, and this was evident during President Al-Sisi’s meeting with him and their handshake.”
* A version of this article appears in print in the 13 March, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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