Assad receives UAE Foreign Minister, accompanying delegation

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Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad received on Sunday UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his accompanying delegation, marking the first foreign delegation to visit the disaster-stricken country since the earthquake hit on Monday.

The Emirati FM underlined his country's solidarity with Syria and Turkey, saying it stands beside them in these difficult circumstances and humanitarian catastrophe, noting that the UAE is ready to provide them with any help possible to face the repercussions of the devastating earthquake.

Emirati President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan offered "assistance" in telephone calls with his Syrian and Turkish counterparts, the official WAM news agency reported earlier in the week.

On his part, Emirati Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum "directed urgent humanitarian aid to those affected in Syria", WAM said, pledging humanitarian assistance worth around $13.6 million to Syria.

Al-Assad had received bin Zayed in Damascus in January to discuss means of strengthening bilateral ties, including in economy and trade, state Syrian media reported.

The Syrian President praised the UAE's role in the region and its historical significance for Syria, SANA news agency reported.

The UAE Foreign Minister conveyed the Emirati President's greetings to Al-Assad and confirmed his country's willingness to continue cooperating with Damascus on different issues. Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has also reaffirmed the UAE’s support for Syria's sovereignty and stability.  

Check out: Countries that aided Syria in its catastrophe

On Monday, a magnitude 7.8 quake struck Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, killing thousands, mainly in Turkey and Syria, and leveling houses and other facilities, including public infrastructure.

The death toll from the devastating earthquake in Syria has risen to more than 4,000, while rescue teams continue extensive search efforts to find survivors under the rubble.

Following the earthquakes, several Western countries mobilized rapidly to send aid and rescue workers to Turkey but decided to exclude Syria and neglect it, by only offering condolences and merely expressing readiness to support the affected Syrians, with nothing done on the ground, in a clear show of double standards.

The United Nations stressed on Thursday the need to avoid "politicization" of aid to earthquake victims in Syria and urged Washington and Brussels to ensure there were "no impediments".

Western countries are not providing necessary aid to the Syrian government, which is dealing with the fallout of the devastating earthquake, and only send them to areas in Syria that are controlled by militant terrorist groups, the Syrian Presidency's Special Advisor Bouthaina Shaaban said on Thursday.

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