UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed met with Syria’s Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani on Monday (January 6) during the latter’s first official visit to the UAE, according to Emirati state news agency WAM.
The discussions focused on strengthening “brotherly” relations and reviewing recent developments in Syria following the December 8 ousting of former President Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to supporting Syria’s independence and sovereignty over its entire territory, according to Emirati state news agency WAM.
The discussions in Abu Dhabi also involved Syrian Defense Minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and intelligence chief Anas Khattab. Their UAE visit follows recent trips to Qatar on Sunday and Saudi Arabia last week, marking their first foreign engagements since the new government took office.
Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that al-Shaibani arrived in the UAE alongside the other officials. Sharing a picture on X of himself disembarking from a plane, al-Shaibani expressed his eagerness to foster “constructive bilateral relations.”
Syria’s interim government assumed power after armed opposition forces captured Damascus in early December, bringing an end to Bashar al-Assad’s 13-year rule during the nation’s prolonged civil war.
The meeting was attended by Mohammed bin Mubarak bin Fadhel Al Mazrouei, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, Khalifa Shaheen Al Marar, Minister of State, Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Assistant Foreign Minister for Political Affairs, Saeed Mubarak Al Hajeri, Assistant Foreign Minister for Economic and Commercial Affairs, and Hassan Ahmed Al Shehhi, UAE Ambassador to the Syrian Arab Republic.
