Al-Assad Visits UAE, Meets Abu Dhabi Crown Prince

By Staff, Agencies

In a first visit to an Arab state since the Syrian war began in 2011, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad traveled to the United Arab Emirates on Friday.

Al-Assad met Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan who “stressed that Syria is a fundamental pillar of Arab security and that the UAE is keen to strengthen cooperation with it.”

He further affirmed the need for the withdrawal of all foreign forces which exist illegitimately on the Syrian lands, expressing his country’s keenness on boosting cooperation with Syria in the domains that achieve aspirations of the two brotherly peoples.

For his part, Al-Assad stressed that the UAE is a country that plays a great role in light of the balanced policies it adopts towards international issues.

In parallel, he added that “The world is changing and moving for a long time into a state of instability, therefore, to protect the region. We must continue with adherence to our principles, the sovereignty of our countries, and the interests of our peoples.”

Al-Assad also met on Friday with Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, the Syrian presidency said in a statement.