BEIRUT, LEBANON (5:45 P.M.) – A large plane arrived at Damascus International Airport on Thursday carrying medical and food supplies provided by the United Arab Emirates.
According to the state-owned Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA), the Emirati aircraft arrived at dawn on Thursday and provided “quantities of medical aid and equipment for dealing with the coronavirus epidemic,” along with food supplies.
The UAE, which reopened its embassy in Damascus in 2018, pledged $30 million “in support of international efforts to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people” during the “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region” conference held in Brussels under the auspices of the United Nations and the European Union last month.
Besides Oman, who maintained ties with Syria throughout the war, the UAE was the first of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries to restore relations with the Arab Republic; this was later followed by Bahrain.
The remaining two GCC countries, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have yet to reestablish relations with Syria.
