Sources in Syria and the UAE expect that Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi will soon visit Damascus and Abu Dhabi.
Despite the alliance between Damascus and Tehran, and Iran’s direct participation alongside the Syrian army in the fight against the plot to overthrow the regime, this would be the first visit by an Iranian president to Syria since the beginning of the war.
It was remarkable that former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani never visited Damascus during his two presidential terms. Indeed, Rouhani met only once with Bashar al-Assad, during the latter’s March 2019 visit to Tehran.
According to some sources, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Mekdad’s visit to Tehran this week was to arrange a “major” visit to Damascus, which is likely to take place before the end of December.
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The visit will undoubtedly provide a strong impetus for relations between the two countries and their strategic alliance, as well as an opportunity to coordinate positions on regional developments and reduce US interference in the Middle East.
The visit will be based on a shift in the course of regional conflicts, towards a kind of openness, a climate of reconciliation, and the opening of previously closed relations between the opposing states. These developments should come in addition to Syria’s unlimited willingness to return to the Arab League at the Algiers summit.
According to UAE sources, the Iranian president is also expected to travel to Abu Dhabi, where he will launch a dialogue between Iran and the Gulf states. The dialogues will aim to facilitate stability and calm in the Gulf region in the coming era, given that Gulf states are not enthusiastic about the Israels’ tendency towards escalation with Iran.
“Foreign Minister Mekdad’s second visit to Tehran, his first after Ibrahim Raisi’s ascendancy to the Iranian presidency, is in preparation for his expected visit to Damascus before the end of this year,” reported the Iranian-backed al-Mayadeen TV website.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
