Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad el-Chaibani aboard a plane en route to Abu Dhabi, April 13, 2025. (Credit: Assaad el-Chaibani’s X account)
Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa traveled to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, marking his first official visit to the country since coming to power. He was accompanied by his Foreign Minister, Assaad el-Chaibani, according to the official Syrian news agency Sana.
On X, Chaibani — who visited Abu Dhabi in January — shared a photo of himself alongside the president aboard the plane, stating they were heading to the Emirates to “strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and cooperation […] and consolidate historic bilateral ties.”
Ahmad al-Sharaa, head of the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led the coalition of radical Islamist rebels that ousted President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 after a swift offensive. Syrian authorities are now seeking assistance from the wealthy Gulf monarchies to help rebuild the country, devastated by over thirteen years of civil war.
Following Assad’s ouster, a senior Emirati official expressed “concern” over the new leadership in Damascus and its Islamist affiliations. In mid-January, Chareh and Emirati President Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan held a phone call to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties.
True to its zero-tolerance policy toward political Islam, Abu Dhabi remains wary of the Syrian leadership and fears growing influence from Turkey, a key ally of the new authorities in Damascus, according to analysts.
The UAE had restored ties with Assad’s Syria and supported its reintegration into the Arab fold in 2023, after the country had been largely isolated due to Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests at the start of the war in 2011.
Interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa traveled to the United Arab Emirates on Sunday, marking his first official visit to the country since coming to power. He was accompanied by his Foreign Minister, Assaad el-Chaibani, according to the official Syrian news agency Sana.On X, Chaibani — who visited Abu Dhabi in January — shared a photo of himself alongside the president aboard the plane, stating they were heading to the Emirates to “strengthen the bonds of brotherhood and cooperation […] and consolidate historic bilateral ties.”Ahmad al-Sharaa, head of the Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led the coalition of radical Islamist rebels that ousted President Bashar al-Assad on Dec. 8 after a swift offensive. Syrian authorities are now seeking assistance from the wealthy Gulf monarchies to help rebuild...