Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad arrives in UAE on official visit

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Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday for an official visit, and met with his Emirati counterpart Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

The Syrian President was accompanied by his wife Asma al Assad, as per the Syrian Presidency.

Al-Assad was greeted by President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan upon his arrival in Abu Dhabi on Sunday and was given a canon salute as his convoy approached the royal palace, the Presidency added.

On his account, the UAE's President stated that he held “constructive talks” with his Syrian counterpart “aimed at developing ties between our two countries.”

“Our discussions also explored ways of enhancing cooperation to accelerate stability and progress in Syria and the region,” he added.

Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Damascus highlighted that President Al-Assad had been scheduled to fly out from Syria to the UAE, acknowledging that Abu Dhabi's deepening of ties with the Syrian government is part of a crossing to help boost its economy.

The economy will be a central theme of discussion with the UAE in addition to politics, our reporter stressed.

It is noteworthy that UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Syria early last month, and met with Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad in the first visit by a prominent foreign official in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake.

It is worth noting that UAE's FM and his accompanying delegation were the first foreign delegation to visit the country after the devastating earthquake.

Today's visit marks an important step towards building an all-round, high-level, and robust relationship between Syria and other Arab countries, more than a decade after Damascus' membership in the 22-member Arab League was suspended.