Monitoring Desk
DAMASCUS: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Sunday thanked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for its emergency response and tens of millions commitment to aid to the quake-hit nation, the presidency said.
“The UAE was among the first nations that stood with Syria and sent huge humanitarian and relief aid and search and rescue teams,” Assad said during a meeting in Damascus with the UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan.
The UAE Foreign Minister arrived in Syria on Sunday, six days after a massive earthquake struck Turkiye and Syria, killing over 33,000 people in total, including more than 3,500 in Syria alone.
His trip is the first by a senior Gulf official since the devastating earth quake hit.
The UAE minister last visited Syria in January, when he also met Assad on a visit that signalled warming relations with war-torn Syria after years of strained ties.
UAE aid for quake hit Syria
The UAE pledged nearly $13.6 million to Syria after the calamity before announcing another $50 million in aid.
The oil-rich Gulf nation has sent planes to Turkiye and Syria with rescue teams, emergency aid, food, and medical supplies.
“Sixteen UAE planes have arrived in Syria since the quake hit,” said Suleiman Khalil, an official at Syria’s transport ministry.
“Around the clock, Emirati planes have provided an air bridge for those affected by the earthquake.”
Since Friday, the Emirati search and rescue team has been based in the Syrian coastal city of Jableh, where they have established a base camp. They have worked at many locations, scouring the rubble for survivors and remains of the dead.
