Reuters
Syrian parliament members and Parliamentary Speaker Hammouda Sabbagh meet with a delegation from the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union in Damascus, Syria February 26, 2023.
REUTERS/Firas Makdesi
DAMASCUS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A delegation of senior Arab parliamentarians met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday, another sign of thawing ties after more than a decade of isolation over the conflict in Syria.
The heads of the Iraqi, Jordanian, Palestinian, Libyan, Egyptian and Emirati houses of representatives, as well as representatives from Oman and Lebanon, traveled to Syria as part of a delegation from the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union.
They met with Syrian parliamentarians and with Assad, according to Syrian state news agency SANA.
"We cannot do without Syria and Syria cannot do without its Arab environment, which we hope it can return to," said Iraqi parliament speaker Mohammed Halbousi.
Syria was largely isolated from the rest of the Arab world following Assad's deadly crackdown against protests that erupted against his rule in 2011.e
The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011 and many Arab countries pulled their envoys out of Damascus.
But Assad has benefited from an outpouring of support from Arab states following the devastating earthquake on Feb. 6, which killed more than 5,900 people across his country, according to a tally of U.N. and Syrian government figures.
Donors have included Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which both supported rebels seeking to overthrow Assad in the early years of the Syrian conflict.
Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi spoke with Assad by phone for the first time on Feb. 7 and Jordan's foreign minister made his first trip to Damascus on Feb. 15.
Assad then traveled to Oman on Feb. 20 - the first time he left Syria since the quake.
He had rarely left Syria during the war, travelling only to close allies Russia and Iran whose military support helped him turn the tide of the conflict.
Assad's 2022 visit to the UAE was his first trip to an Arab state since the 2011 outbreak of war.
DAMASCUS, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A delegation of senior Arab parliamentarians met with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday, another sign of thawing ties after more than a decade of isolation over the conflict in Syria.
The heads of the Iraqi, Jordanian, Palestinian, Libyan, Egyptian and Emirati houses of representatives, as well as representatives from Oman and Lebanon, traveled to Syria as part of a delegation from the Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union.
They met with Syrian parliamentarians and with Assad, according to Syrian state news agency SANA.
"We cannot do without Syria and Syria cannot do without its Arab environment, which we hope it can return to," said Iraqi parliament speaker Mohammed Halbousi.
Syria was largely isolated from the rest of the Arab world following Assad's deadly crackdown against protests that erupted against his rule in 2011.e
The Arab League suspended Syria's membership in 2011 and many Arab countries pulled their envoys out of Damascus.
But Assad has benefited from an outpouring of support from Arab states following the devastating earthquake on Feb. 6, which killed more than 5,900 people across his country, according to a tally of U.N. and Syrian government figures.
Donors have included Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which both supported rebels seeking to overthrow Assad in the early years of the Syrian conflict.
Egypt's President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi spoke with Assad by phone for the first time on Feb. 7 and Jordan's foreign minister made his first trip to Damascus on Feb. 15.
Assad then traveled to Oman on Feb. 20 - the first time he left Syria since the quake.
He had rarely left Syria during the war, travelling only to close allies Russia and Iran whose military support helped him turn the tide of the conflict.
Assad's 2022 visit to the UAE was his first trip to an Arab state since the 2011 outbreak of war.
Arab parliamentary delegation visits quake-hit Syria for 1st time since 2011
Visit aims to show solidarity with Syria following earthquakes
Ibrahim Al-Khazen |26.02.2023
DAMASCUS, Syria
An Arab parliamentary delegation visited the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Sunday to show solidarity with the victims of the Feb. 6 earthquakes that killed thousands in Syria and Türkiye.
The visit was the first since 2011 when Syria’s membership in the Cairo-based Arab League was suspended amid a deadly regime crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
Egypt’s state news agency MENA said Parliament Speaker Hanafi Al-Gebali arrived in Damascus as part of an Arab parliamentary delegation to show solidarity with Syria following the earthquakes.
Iraq’s state news agency INA said Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi also visited Damascus and was welcomed by the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad.
“The delegation represents the Inter-Parliamentary Union to confirm support to Syria and stand by its people in the plight caused by the earthquake,” al-Halbousi said in statements cited by Syrian state news agency SANA.
At least 44,218 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.
In Syria, at least 5,840 people have been killed in the earthquake disaster.
* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report
Visit aims to show solidarity with Syria following earthquakes
Ibrahim Al-Khazen |26.02.2023
DAMASCUS, Syria
An Arab parliamentary delegation visited the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Sunday to show solidarity with the victims of the Feb. 6 earthquakes that killed thousands in Syria and Türkiye.
The visit was the first since 2011 when Syria’s membership in the Cairo-based Arab League was suspended amid a deadly regime crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
Egypt’s state news agency MENA said Parliament Speaker Hanafi Al-Gebali arrived in Damascus as part of an Arab parliamentary delegation to show solidarity with Syria following the earthquakes.
Iraq’s state news agency INA said Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi also visited Damascus and was welcomed by the head of the Syrian regime, Bashar al-Assad.
“The delegation represents the Inter-Parliamentary Union to confirm support to Syria and stand by its people in the plight caused by the earthquake,” al-Halbousi said in statements cited by Syrian state news agency SANA.
At least 44,218 people were killed by two strong earthquakes that jolted southern Türkiye on Feb. 6.
The magnitude 7.7 and 7.6 earthquakes, centered in the Kahramanmaras province, affected more than 13 million people across 11 provinces, including Adana, Adiyaman, Diyarbakir, Gaziantep, Hatay, Kilis, Malatya, Osmaniye, Elazig, and Sanliurfa.
In Syria, at least 5,840 people have been killed in the earthquake disaster.
* Ikram Imane Kouachi contributed to this report
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