Syria’s Al-Assad Receives Warm Welcome At Arab League Summit (Videos)
On May 19, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad received a warm welcome while attending the Arab League summit in the Saudi city of Jeddah.
This was the first Arab League summit to be attended by al-Assad since the war broke out in Syria more than a decade ago. His participation marked the official return of the country to the Arab fold.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) hugged al-Assad before their official picture was taken ahead of the start of the meeting. Later, as leaders walked into the main hall, al-Assad exchanged greetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, among others.
The official Syrian Arab News Agency said that even Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani shook hands with Assad, though there was no immediate confirmation of that in Qatari media. Qatar was reportedly one of the few Arab League members that opposed the decision to readmit Syria into the organization earlier this month.
“I would like to loudly welcome Syria back to its seat among its brothers,” Algerian Prime Minister Ayman Benabderrahmane said in the opening speech of the summit.
Later, MBS said during his speech that he “hopes Syria’s return to the Arab League leads to the end of its crisis.”
Al-Assad was joined at the summit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who wants to build support for Kiev’s battle against Russia. Ukraine and Syria cut ties last year after Damascus voiced its support for the special military operation and recognized the Donbass region as Russian territory.
Addressing the summit, Zelensky asked the delegates to support Ukraine’s formula for peace and thanked Riyadh for its role in mediating a prisoner release last year. The Ukrainian president refrained from making any comment on al-Assad, who reportedly didn’t wear translation headphones during his speech.
In his speech, al-Assad thanked Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries for their efforts to bring Syria back to the Arab fold, and called for Arab unity.
“I hope that the summit marks the beginning of a new phase of Arab work, for solidarity among us to achieve peace in our region, development and prosperity instead of war and destruction,” the Syrian president said.
In the morning, al-Assad held two meetings with Tunisian President Kais Saied and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Vice President of the United Arab Emirates. He is expected to meet with other Arab leaders before heading back to Syria.
The Arab rapprochement with Syria gained momentum after China brokered an agreement in March that saw Riyadh resume diplomatic ties with Iran, a key ally of al-Assad. The rapprochement angered the United States.
Ahead of the summit, the U.S. The State Department reiterated opposition to normalization of relations with Syria and said sanctions should not be lifted. The European Union also maintained its objection to any engagement with Damascus.
The Arab League summit in Jeddah marks the end of Syria’s isolation. Arab countries are reportedly looking to work with Damascus on ending the war in the country, by countering drug trafficking, facilitating the return of refugees and pushing forward the political process.
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