The president of the United Arab Emirates told his Syrian counterpart on Sunday during a meeting in Abu Dhabi that it is time for Damascus, which has long been diplomatically isolated, to return to the Arab family, AFP reported, citing state media.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is on an official visit to the Emirates with his wife Asma, his second visit to the Persian Gulf since the earthquake in Syria in early February, at a time when several Arab countries are resuming contacts with Damascus.

“Syria has been away from its brothers for too long and it is time to return to them and to its Arab environment,” said Emirati President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

President Assad has been diplomatically isolated since the crackdown on a popular uprising that turned into a civil war in 2011. After the earthquake in Syria, Arab countries intensified their contacts and sent aid to Damascus.

Earlier, the Emirati president said he held “discussions aimed at developing bilateral relations” with Bashar al-Assad, especially to explore ways to strengthen cooperation to accelerate stability and progress in Syria and the region.

“The Emirati position is clear on the need to return Syria to the ‘Arab family’,” said Anwar Gargash, senior adviser to the Emirati president. This was confirmed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed during today’s meeting, he said. tweeted

During the meeting on Sunday, President Bashar al-Assad praised the role of the Emirates in strengthening relations between Arab countries, saying that these relations should be “fraternal”, according to a press release from the Syrian president.

The president of Syria, whose country was expelled from the Arab League in late 2011, visited the Sultanate of Oman on February 20, for the first time in 12 years of war in Syria. A low-key but important mediator in the diplomatic arena, Oman is one of the few Arab countries and the only one in the Persian Gulf that has always maintained formal diplomatic relations with Damascus since the start of the war.

At the end of 2018, the Emirates reopened its embassy in Damascus, and in March 2022, Bashar al-Assad made his first visit to the Arab country in Abu Dhabi.

Aid to Syria after the earthquake was led by Abu Dhabi, which helped break the isolation. The Emirates also pledged more than $100 million in aid, sent a rescue team and provided thousands of tons of emergency supplies. Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Syria in February, the first high-ranking Gulf official to do so since the earthquake. It was his second trip to Syria this year.

“The Emirates are convinced, like many Arab states, that the time has come for reconciliation with Assad (…) and for the return of Syria to the League of Arab States and the Arab family,” said Emirati political scientist Abdelkhalek Abdallah. The Emirates is at the forefront of efforts to reconcile the enemies of the past and turn them into friends of tomorrow,” he said.

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Faisal bin Farhane, said in February that a new approach to Syria was needed that would involve talks with Damascus to resolve the humanitarian crisis.

Recently, President Assad was in Moscow, where he was received by President Vladimir Putin, who has been trying to bring Damascus closer to the Arab countries for several years.

His visit to the Emirates comes days after a visit by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani on Thursday, in a regional context marked by a rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

“Syria is no longer a place of confrontation between Iran and Saudi Arabia,” congratulated President Assad in an interview with Russian state media RT, considering the agreement between the regional powers to be a “wonderful surprise.” Saudi Arabia’s policy has changed direction on Syria,” he said.