The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has reopened its embassy in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in a move that is seen as a diplomatic boost for President Bashar al-Assad from a regional adversary that once backed rebels fighting against his forces.
The UAE recalled its ambassador from Syria after the start of a popular uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011, which escalated into a brutal and multifaceted war that killed hundreds of thousands of people, forced millions from their homes and destroyed the country’s infrastructure.
Nearly seven years later, and with government forces having regained control of the majority of Syria, the UAE flag was raised again at the building in the Abu Rummaneh district of central Damascus during a ceremony on Thursday attended by diplomats and journalists. An acting charge d’affaires has already started working, an Emirati statement said.