close
Wednesday December 04, 2024

MBS, UAE president mull regional developments in wake of Syria situation

Meeting between two leaders takes place during Saudi crown prince's visit to Emirates

By AFP
December 03, 2024
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (left) and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. — AFP
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan (left) and Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. — AFP

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have discussed regional developments with a particular focus on the Middle East situation.

The meeting between the two leaders took place on Sunday hours after a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait.

The development came in the wake of the seizure of Syria's second-largest city Aleppo by rebels.

During the meeting, the two royals "reviewed the latest regional and international developments, with a particular focus on the Middle East", said the UAE'sofficial WAM news agency.

"They underscored the need for concerted efforts to maintain regional stability and prevent the region [from] descending into new crises that could threaten its security," it added.

The recent shock offensive by Syrian rebels has been termed an attempt to redraw the regional map in line with the United States' interest by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose country has been at war since he launched a cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011 — a conflict which has drawn in foreign powers and has left 500,000 people massacred.

Anti-government fighters wave opposition flags in Syrias northern city of Aleppo on November 30, 2024. — AFP
Anti-government fighters wave opposition flags in Syria's northern city of Aleppo on November 30, 2024. — AFP

Meanwhile, the MBS visit, the first since 2021 as per the Emirati media, follows his meeting with the UAE ruler in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam in May earlier this year in the wake of rumours suggesting a rift between the two countries.

The UAE president, 63, was once seen as a mentor to the 39-year-old Saudi heir who is aggressively reshaping his country's oil-reliant economy.

It is to be noted that the Gulf states were initially key backers of Syrian opposition groups fighting President Assad's government since the Arab Spring protests of 2011.

But they later reversed course, with the UAE restoring diplomatic ties in 2018.

Riyadh re-established ties with Damascus last year after inviting Assad to an Arab League meeting in Jeddah, ending Syria's regional isolation.