The earthquake repairs what politics has damaged – al-Assad praises the stances of Arab countries
“What politics have corrupted Last week’s devastating earthquake in Syria fixed.”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad welcomed any positive attitude on Wednesday from Arab countries, many of which have severed ties with Damascus since the start of the Syrian crisis. During a meeting with Jordan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Ayman Safadi.
Over the past week, a number of Arab leaders have contacted President al-Assad to express their solidarity with his country after the natural disaster that befell it. This sped up the process of normalizing Damascus’s relations with its regional environment.
“The Syrian people welcome and interact with any positive attitude towards them, especially among their Arab brothers,” al-Assad said during the meeting with al-Safadi, stressing the importance of bilateral cooperation between Syria and Jordan.
UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the first Arab Foreign Minister to visit Damascus since last week’s earthquake. The UAE is leading the regional relief effort for Syria, followed by Safadi today.
“The earthquake left some 40,000 people dead in Syria and Turkey, including more than 3,600 in Syria alone.”
“Jordan was among the first countries to send aid planes to Syria, with at least three arriving, as well as dozens of trucks entering Syria through the Nasib border crossing.”
“We have been cooperating for a long time, but we highly appreciate this visit, because it comes at an appropriate time,” Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Meqdad told the Al-Mamlaka channel as he bade farewell to his Jordanian counterpart at the Damascus airport.
“We are grateful for the generous assistance sent to Syria by the Jordanian state and citizens,” he said.
Jordan can only stand by Syria after the earthquake, al-Safadi said, adding, “We are at a humanitarian moment that the brotherly Syrian people are suffering from, and our message is to stand by it.”
Signs of an Arab opening to Damascus have surfaced over the past few years, beginning with the UAE reopening its embassy in Damascus in 2018 and then with Assad’s visit to the UAE last March.
