The United States says it is “deeply disappointed” by the visit of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to the United Arab Emirates, and has urged its allies to avoid ties with a regime accused of “horrific abuses.”
Assad’s surprise visit on Friday was his first to an Arab country since the country’s civil war erupted in 2011, which killed nearly half a million people.
It was the latest sign of a growing relationship between Syria, and the United Arab Emirates, a key ally of the United States.
“We are deeply disappointed and disturbed by the attempts to legitimize Bashar al-Assad,” said State Department spokesman Ned Price.
“Assad remains responsible for the unaccountable killings and displacement of more than half of Syria’s population, as well as the arrest and disappearance of more than 150,000 men,” said Price. women and children. ”
“As US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated, we do not support Assad’s rehabilitation efforts, nor do we support others in contact with him,” Price said.
“We have made this clear to our friends and we call on countries to consider dealing with the Assad regime, and to look carefully at the horrific abuses committed by his regime.”
Assad’s visit to the United Arab Emirates came as Russia – also a major supporter of Damascus and a strong ally of the UAE – intensified its invasion of Ukraine.
The war in Syria erupted in March 2011 after protests against Assad’s government began, and a year later the United Arab Emirates, like most Arab countries, cut ties with Damascus.
But the UAE reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital in December 2018, marking an attempt by Assad’s regime to bring the Arab world back.
On Friday, Assad and Abu Dhabi heir apparent Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the UAE’s indirect leader, discussed “brotherly relations” between the two countries, according to the UAE’s official WAM news agency.
Sheikh Mohammed said he hoped the visit would “pave the way for prosperity, peace, and stability in Syria and the region as a whole,” WAM said.
