Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, calls for international efforts to preserve Syria's unity. Photo: Wam
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, calls for international efforts to preserve Syria's unity. Photo: Wam
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, calls for international efforts to preserve Syria's unity. Photo: Wam
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, calls for international efforts to preserve Syria's unity. Photo: Wam

Sheikh Abdullah discusses developments in Syria with regional counterparts


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Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has called for international co-operation in safeguarding Syria's unity and sovereignty during phone calls with a number of his regional counterparts.

Sheikh Abdullah spoke to Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, Jordan’s Foreign Affairs Minister Ayman Safadi, Morocco's Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, state news agency Wam reported.

During the calls, Sheikh Abdullah emphasised the need to address the rights and aspirations of Syrians and stressed the importance of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which was passed in 2015, to achieve a political settlement in Syria.

The diplomats also affirmed the need to strengthen the role of the UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen.

They later reviewed the need to strengthen regional and international efforts to foster stability in the region.

On Wednesday, Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to President Sheikh Mohamed, said the UAE “presents a successful regional model to be emulated” amid a battle for control in Syria, after the fall of Bashar Al Assad.

Hayat Tahrir Al Sham may have established itself as the leading authority in Damascus, but the situation remains far from certain, with Turkish-backed rebels advancing across north-eastern Syria attempting to take territory controlled by US-backed Kurdish militias.

President Sheikh Mohamed on Monday set out the UAE's steadfast support for Syria during a phone call with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen. The UAE leader reiterated the UAE's commitment to Syria's "unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity", and spoke of the need to ensure security and stability in the country, state news agency Wam reported.

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