HOW CHINA & RUSSIA ARE LEADING A MAJOR REALIGNMENT IN THE MIDDLE EAST L BIDEN’S US BEING SIDELINED?
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) last week. It was Assad’s first visit to the Gulf country since the devastating earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria last month. The UAE’s president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, greeted al-Assad and his wife Asma in the capital Abu Dhabi on Sunday, official news agency WAM said, before high-level meetings at the presidential palace. Abu Dhabi, which normalised relations with al-Assad’s internationally isolated government in 2018, has contributed to aid efforts in the aftermath of the February 6 earthquake that struck southeastern Turkey and northern Syria, killing tens of thousands. Meanwhile, Syria and Saudi Arabia have agreed to reopen their embassies after cutting diplomatic ties more than a decade ago, three sources with knowledge of the matter said, a step that would mark a leap forward in Damascus's return to the Arab fold.