News Desk: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad held talks in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, his first official visit to an Arab country since civil war erupted in 2011, UAE state media said.
The meeting is the latest sign of warming relations between Syria and the UAE, which had broken ties with Damascus in February 2012.
Assad met with the UAE's de facto ruler, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, discussing “fraternal relations” between the two countries, the WAM news agency reported.
They also discussed efforts to “contribute to the consolidation of security, stability and peace in the Arab region and the Middle East”, it added.
Sheikh Mohammed said he hoped the visit would “pave the way for goodness, peace and stability to prevail in Syria and the entire region”, WAM said.
The pair also discussed ways of “preserving the territorial integrity of Syria and the withdrawal of foreign forces from the country,” it said, as well as means of providing “political and humanitarian support for Syria”.
Syria's SANA state news agency said the meeting helped “strengthen cooperation” between the two sides.
Syria's economy has been battered by a decade of conflict and grueling sanctions, and the Arab League suspended Damascus after the war broke out 11 years ago.
The UAE is one of the six Gulf Cooperation Council member states that took a tough stance against Damascus in 2012 and eventually recognised an opposition umbrella group as the representative of Syria.
