Following the Syrian president’s visit to the UAE and the spread of rumors about this visit, the Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister denied sending any message to Damascus from Tel Aviv.
Faraan: Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Bashar al-Jaafari on Thursday explained the visit of President Bashar al-Assad to the UAE.
“Israel has not sent any message to Syria through the UAE,” the Syrian deputy foreign minister told Sputnik.
“The doors of Damascus are not closed to any real action [by the Arab countries],” Bashar al-Jaafari said in another part of his remarks. The remarks come after the Syrian president arrived in the UAE on March 17 last year at the head of a high-level delegation and met with senior officials.
The official Syrian News Agency (SANA) reported that Dubai Governor Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum welcomed Bashar al-Assad and his entourage and expressed hope that security and peace would be established throughout Syria and that stability would prevail in the country and the region. During the meeting, the relations between the two countries and the prospects for expanding bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of economy, investment and trade, were discussed. This was the Syrian president’s first visit to an Arab country in 11 years.
Anwar Gargash, the UAE president’s diplomatic adviser, said after the SANA report: “The UAE continues to pursue a realistic policy to reduce tensions and enhance the role of Arab countries in a practical approach to resolving regional crises. This is because the complex situation in the region requires a practical and rational approach that does not marginalize the efforts of the Arab countries; Countries that are trying to meet the challenges and avoid crises and seditions.”
Anwar Gargash added: “Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s visit stems from the UAE’s intention to institutionalize the role of the Arab [countries] in the Syrian case, and in line with the country’s belief in the need for political communication, [politics] have been open and regional talks have taken place. This step requires courageous steps in order to institutionalize stability and prosperity and to guarantee the future of the region and its nations.”
According to Fars, the relations between the UAE and Syria were severed after the Arab League suspended Syria’s membership in 2011, and Abu Dhabi recalled its ambassador from Damascus, expressing its outspoken opposition to the Syrian government. However, the UAE reopened its embassy in Damascus in 1397 and resumed relations with the country.
