Sudanese President Becomes First Arab Leader To Break Diplomatic Blockade On Syria, Meet With Assad

On December 16, Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir, visited Syria and met with President Bashar al-Assad, thus becoming the first Arab leader to breaking the diplomatic blocked on the war torn country.

The Syrian Arab News Agency (SAA) said that Assad welcomed al-Bashir in Damascus airport then both presidents headed to the People’s Palace, where they held a meeting on bilateral relations and developments in Syria and the region.

“President al-Assad and President al-Bashir affirmed that the circumstances and crises affecting several Arab countries require finding new approaches for Arab action that are based on respecting the sovereignty of states and non-interference in their internal affairs, which should improve inter-Arab relations and serve the interests of the Arab people,” the SANA said in a press release.

During the meeting, al-Bashir said that weakening Syria means weakening Arab causes. The Sudanese President added that “despite the war, Syria continues to adhere to the standards of the Arab nations.”

“He [al-Bashir] voiced hope that Syria will recover its vitality and role in the region as soon as possible, and that its people will be able to decide the country’s future themselves without any foreign interference,” SANA said.

From his side, Assad affirmed that Syria still believes in Arabism and warned from the dependence of some Arab countries on the West that “will not bring any benefits to their peoples,” according to him.

Al-Bashir, who reportedly arrived aboard a Russian plane, has built a network of complicated relations across the Middle East over the last ten years. While he actively supports the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, the Sudanese President maintained excellent relations with Turkey and Qatar.

Local observers said that al-Bashir’s visit to Damascus will pave the way for other Arab leaders. Since the beginning of this year, Syria’s relations with Jordan, Bahrain, UAE and Egypt witnessed much improvement.

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