Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad met in Damascus Sunday, July 15, with Emirati Minister for Information and Culture Sheikh Abdallah Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan to discuss the "regional situation" and relations between their countries, the official SANA news agency reported.
The Emirati minister also met with Syria's Deputy Prime Minister for Economy Khaled Raad, with whom he co-chairs a joint commission on economic, agricultural and information cooperation.
Raad underlined in the talks "the large prospects for investment in Syria for the private sector in the Emirates", according to the news agency. Meanwhile, the Emirati official said his country "would make every effort to contribute to the consolidation of the Syrian economy".
Syria maintains good relations with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In November, Abu Dhabi, one of the seven members of the Emirati federation, granted Syria loans totaling nearly $150 million to finance development projects.
In January, Assad traveled to Abu Dhabi for his first visit to the UAE since he came to power in July of last year. ― (AFP, Damascus)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
