Syria’s new leader and the president of the United Arab Emirates held a phone call Friday to discuss ways to enhance bilateral relations following the fall of Bashar al-Assad, whom Abu Dhabi had supported in his normalization efforts, Syrian state media reported.
“A phone call took place between Ahmad al-Sharaa and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, during which the two parties discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations,” the official Syrian news agency SANA stated.
Earlier in January, Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Chaibani visited Abu Dhabi to advance these efforts, marking his first trip to the UAE since Assad’s overthrow.
“The two sides also emphasized the importance of continued coordination, intensified efforts to support the Syrian people, protect the country’s territorial integrity, and their commitment to work together to ensure regional stability and development,” the statement added.
Syria’s new leadership, aiming to gain the trust of Arab and Western nations, is seeking Gulf countries’ assistance in rebuilding the war-torn country after over 13 years of conflict.
Nearly a week after a coalition led by the radical Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), under al-Sharaa, ousted Assad last month, a senior Emirati official expressed "concern" over the Islamist affiliations of Syria’s new government.
Abu Dhabi, which maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward political Islam, views the new leadership in Damascus with skepticism, fearing Turkey's significant influence over the new authorities, analysts say. Turkey is the primary ally of Syria's new government.
The UAE was among the first Arab nations to restore ties with Bashar al-Assad’s Syria, and in 2023, it played a key role in reintegrating Syria into the Arab League after its suspension during the war triggered by Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests in 2011.