Syria’s Sharaa meets UAE counterpart in second visit to a Gulf country as leader

CAIRO: Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with his United Arab Emirates counterpart in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, the Syrian leader’s office said, making a second visit to a Gulf state as the country’s new Islamist rulers seek to reassure foreign partners they will create an inclusive political system.

Sharaa, who met President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was accompanied by Foreign Minister Assad al-Shibani.

Syrian state news agency SANA said earlier on Sunday that Sharaa and Shibani were expected to discuss issues of mutual interest with Emirati officials, without giving details.

Sharaa visited Saudi Arabia in February on his first foreign trip since assuming the presidency in January.

The new Syrian leadership is seeking to strengthen ties with Arab and Western leaders following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad in December at the hands of Sharaa’s Sunni Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

Abu Dhabi has been a fierce opponent of Islamist groups across the region, including in Egypt, Sudan and Libya. It has said in the past that extremism and terrorism were a major concern in Syria following the fall of Assad.

Western countries are also watching Syria’s leaders closely to ensure they create an inclusive government, maintain order in a country fractured by civil war and prevent a resurgence of Islamic State or al Qaeda.

Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to revive its economy after 14 years of war, during which the United States and Europe imposed wide-ranging sanctions to squeeze Assad.