QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – November marks a year since the United Arab Emirates (UAE) opened the door to consolidate relations with the Syrian government from an economic window via which it sought to break isolation imposed on Damascus by its Arab periphery.
On November 9, 2021, UAE’s foreign Affairs Minister Abdullah Bin Zayed al-Nahyan visited Damascus meeting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The visit marked the first of its kind by a UAE high-profile official to Syria since 2011.
The visit substantiated that Abu Dhabi supports Damascus where Zayed and al-Assad discussed “increasing efforts to find new horizons for cooperation between the two countries notably in vital sectors to strengthen investment partnerships,” according to state-run SANA News Agency.
Rapprochement between Syria and UAE was accelerated following Zayed’s visit. That was seen in the Expo 2020 held in Abu Dhabi celebrated Syria’s National Day on November 14, 2021 within the framework of national days of participation countries. Syria was represented via a delegation led by Economy and Foreign Trade Minister Mohammad Samer al-Khalil, and Assistant Foreign and Expatriates Minister Ayman Sousan.
Prior, on November 11, just two days after the visit paid by Zayed to Damascus, a delegation of Syrian businessmen arrived in Dubai including Fares Shehabi, chairman of Syria’s Federation of Chambers of Industry, Chairman of the Damascus Chamber of Industry Samer Dibis and Chairman of Syrian-Chinese Businessmen Board Muhammad Hamsho.
The delegation included Ghazwan al-Masri, chairman of the Syrian–Emirati Joint Businessmen Council which was founded by the Syrian government on October 20, 2021.
In late August, al-Masri laid emphasis on the necessity of “increasing trade exchanges” with the UAE. He indicated trade exchange between the two countries tops the table on the Arabian stage and the third one globally in the trade arena and makes nearly 14 % of Syria’s external trading.
That was discussed in a meeting held on 28 August in the capital Damascus to shed light on mutual economic relations between the two countries, according to SANA.
Al-Masri revealed the importance of “launching investment projects between the two countries and encouraging Syrian and Emirati businessmen to invest in Syria.”
Last year, Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri said, “Non-oil trade exchange between the two countries reached 2.6 billion dirham in 2020 while it neared billion dirham in the first half of 2021,” adding that Syria direct investment in the UAE reached 1.5 billion dirham at the end of 2019.
The UAE is the first Arab country to normalize ties with Damascus. In 2018 it opened its embassy in Damascus after seven years closure, owing to the war ravaged Syria.
The UAE and other Gulf states (except for Sultanate of Oman) and most Arab countries cut diplomatic relations with Syria in February 2012 as Syria membership to the Arab League was suspended, owing to the government’s repressive crackdown on protesters and demonstrators, calling for more freedom and democracy in 2011.
Following the visit paid by bin Zayed, Bashar al-Assad paid a visit to UAE on March 18, 2022 to be his first to an Arab country since 2011. Notably the visit corresponded to the 11th annual anniversary of the Syrian war.
Al-Assad’s visit to UAE came days after Abdullah Bin Zayed had a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.
The US rejected such a bid by the UAE for normalization of ties with Assad.
The UAE was the first Arab country to call for Syria’s return to its seat at the Arab League, however, up to now no overall understanding has been reached.