InsiderBLM Africa
On Monday, Egypt’s foreign minister visited Syria for the first time since the start of the country’s civil war, where he met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. An important sign that relations between President Bashar al-Assad and Arab nations are improving.
Since devastating earthquakes struck his nation and its neighbor Turkey this month, Assad has benefited from an outpouring of Arab support, which has lessened the diplomatic isolation he has experienced due to Syria’s civil war, which started in 2011.
The Egyptian Foreign Minister, Sameh Shoukry, said, “I had the honor to meet with President Bashar Al-Assad this morning to convey to His Excellency a message from His Excellency President Al-Sisi, a message of solidarity and sympathy with the Syrian people and our readiness to provide whatever support we can to confront the effects of the earthquake.”
Assad benefited from an outpouring of Arab solidarity when terrible earthquakes struck his country and neighboring Turkey earlier this month, which helped to lessen the diplomatic isolation he has experienced as a result of Syria’s civil conflict, which started a decade ago.
“The two peoples have strong, long-standing ties with one another. We are constantly focusing on unity and overcoming the difficulties that the Syrian people are facing, and we anticipate that Syria will be able to recover from the effects of this earthquake “Sameh Shoukry was added.
Although relations between Cairo and Damascus have remained largely unbroken throughout the conflict, Syria was suspended from the Cairo-based Arab League in 2011 and some other Arab nations have severed ties with it.
Since the 2013 coup that brought Sisi to power, ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, and outlawed his Muslim Brotherhood—many of whose members had sought asylum in Turkey—relations between Cairo and Ankara have been tense.
Sisi and Erdogan shook hands in November in Qatar, marking what the Egyptian government hailed as a new phase in their relationship.
