Syria’s foreign, defense ministers arrive in first visit to UAE

Syria’s new foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani landed in the United Arab Emirates Monday on his first visit to the country since armed opposition forces toppled president Bashar al-Assad last month, official news agency SANA said, Report informs via Al Arabiya.

“Al-Shaibani, accompanied by defense minister Murhaf Abu Qasra and intelligence chief Anas Khattab, has arrived in the United Arab Emirates,” SANA reported.

Al-Shaibani also posted a picture of himself on X stepping off a plane, and said he looked forward “to building constructive bilateral relations.”

The officials took office after armed opposition forces swept into Damascus in early December, toppling al-Assad after more than 13 years of civil war.

Their trip to the UAE comes after they visited its Gulf neighbors Qatar on Sunday and Saudi Arabia last week.