ABU DHABI, Dec 3 (Alliance News): Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) and UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan convened on Sunday for a high-level meeting in Abu Dhabi, following a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit in Kuwait.
The private visit by MBS came amid recent developments in the Middle East, notably the capture of Syria’s second-largest city, Aleppo, by rebel forces.
The UAE’s official WAM news agency reported that during the discussions, the two leaders reviewed the latest regional and international events, with a focus on maintaining stability in the Middle East.
They stressed the importance of collective action to avoid further crises that could endanger the region’s security.
The seizure of Aleppo has been viewed by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as an effort to alter the regional balance in line with US interests.
The Syrian conflict, which began in 2011 following Assad’s crackdown on pro-democracy protests, has drawn in foreign powers and resulted in over 500,000 deaths.
MBS’s visit marked his first trip to the UAE since 2021, following an earlier meeting in Dammam in May 2023 amid speculation of tensions between the two nations.
While the UAE, led by the 63-year-old president, had once been seen as a mentor to the 39-year-old Saudi crown prince, both leaders are now seen as key architects of economic and political shifts in the Gulf region.
The UAE had re-established diplomatic ties with Syria in 2018, while Saudi Arabia normalized relations with Damascus last year, inviting Assad to an Arab League summit in Jeddah and ending Syria’s regional isolation.
