UAE invites Syrian President al-Assad to attend COP28 Summit

While the US and Qatar remain opposed to resuming relations with Syria, some regional powers such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE are increasingly signaling openness to President al-Assad's government.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

According to Reuters, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed has invited his Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad to attend the COP28 Climate Summit that the country will host later this year.

The news was announced by Syria's SANA news agency on May 15.

Previously, on May 7, the foreign ministers of the Arab League (AL) approved the decision to restore Syria's membership in the AL.

Spokesperson for AL Secretary General Gamal Roshdy confirmed that the decision was approved at a closed-door meeting of AL foreign ministers at the bloc's headquarters in Cairo, Egypt.

The AL suspended Syria's membership after conflict broke out in the Middle Eastern country in 2011.

While some countries, including the United States and Qatar, remain opposed to resuming relations with President Bashar al-Assad 's regime, regional powers such as Saudi Arabia and the UAE have recently signaled an increasing openness toward Syria through high-level visits and meetings.

On March 19, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad made an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

This is President al-Assad's second visit to the Gulf region since the devastating earthquake on February 6, which devastated many localities in Syria and Türkiye.

The UAE, which normalized relations with Syria in 2018, has been leading aid efforts after the February 6 earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria , killing tens of thousands of people.

Analysts say the diplomatic momentum generated by international efforts to help Syria recover from the earthquake could spur improved relations between Damascus and Middle Eastern countries, which have so far resisted normalization after more than a decade of war.

The UAE has pledged more than $100 million to help Syria deal with the disaster. It has also sent a search and rescue team and provided thousands of tons of emergency relief supplies.

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Syria in February, becoming the first senior Gulf official to visit since the earthquake./.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/uae-moi-tong-thong-syria-al-assad-du-hoi-nghi-thuong-dinh-cop28-148659.html