DAMASCUS —
Iran’s top diplomat on Wednesday welcomed efforts to “normalize relations”
between some
Arab countries and Syria, days after President Bashar Al-Assad
made a surprise visit to the UAE.
اضافة اعلان
Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks on a visit to Damascus during which
he met Assad, his Syrian counterpart Faisal Mekdad and National Security Bureau
chief Ali Mamlouk.
Iran has given
financial and military support to the Assad regime in Syria’s 11-year war. It
says it has deployed forces in Syria at the invitation of Damascus and only as
advisers.
“We welcome the
fact that some Arab countries are trying to normalize relations with the
Syrian Arab Republic by adopting a new approach. We are happy with it,” said
Amir-Abdollahian.
Mekdad said the
visit was “a good opportunity to review developments in the region and
bilateral relations.”
Amir-Abdollahian
has travelled to Damascus twice since August last year.
His latest visit
follows Assad’s trip to the UAE last week, his first to an Arab country since
the start of the war.
The United States
condemned the visit, which indicated warming ties between Syria and the
UAE after years of boycott.
Assad and the
UAE’s ruler Abu Dhabi
Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan
discussed the “fraternal relations” between the two countries, the official
Emirati news agency WAM reported.
Talks also
centered on efforts to “contribute to the consolidation of security, stability,
and peace in the Arab region and the Middle East”, it added.
The
Arab League suspended
Syria’s membership after conflict broke out in the country in 2011, but member
states are no longer aligned on this position.
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