UAE embassy in Damascus, source: the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA)
The United Arab Emirates has granted the Damascus government a $2 billion aid package to support the war-torn country’s supplies of fuel and food, the Eqtsad outlet reported on February 23 citing Syrian and Emirati sources.
According to the report, Syrian and Emirati businessmen discussed the best ways to facilitated the UAE’s aid and evade U.S. sanctions during a meeting last month. The Syrian businessmen visited Abu Dhabi upon an official invitation from the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
“The UAE and the businessmen agreed to fund several shell companies in Jabal Ali in Dubai to support the regime through it, in return for some demands by the UAE, including restraining Iran’s ambition in the islands of Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa [occupied by Iran, according to the UAE], the Syrian regime will guarantee that Iran will not make any problems in these islands,” Eqtsad quoted one of the sources as saying.
Besides restraining Iran’s ambitions in the Persian Gulf, the UAE also asked Damascus to step up its efforts against the Turkish influence, especially in the economic sector.
The UAE reopened its embassy in Damascus last December after years of supporting the Syrian opposition. The step was one of many that Abu Dhabi took last year to restart its relations with the government of President Bashar al-Assad.
Eqtsad’s claims have not been confirmed by the UAE or the Damascus government so far. However, it’s possible to observe an improvement in the relations between Iran and the UAE. In a recent interview with Tasnim News, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, revealed that Tehran has received some positive letters from Abu Dhabi.
Furthermore, the Syrian authorities have indeed launched a massive campaign against Turkish goods throughout government-controlled areas. Eqtsad claims that this campaign is supported by the UAE, which is apparently planning to replace Turkey’s stacks in the Syrian market.
Good relations between Abu Dhabi and Damascus could become an important factor allowing to pave a way to improve the regional security.
The UAE scheming ways to evade US sanctions on Syria with shell companies in Dubai – priceless! Israeli-firster psychopathic US neocons –> world domination plans –> toilet –> (you know what comes next)
So, they give $2bn to Syria in form of Fuel and food and in exchange, Syria has to do some magic and make the 3 islands less Iranian? Are they drunk? The 3 islands have been, are and will be Iranian. They have no claim on them since they were part of Iran way before the creation of UAE. There’s no objection of them paying Syria, they must pay much more than that, at least the same amount they burned to destroy Syria and until Syrians are satisfied. But expecting something like this, well, good luck!
The islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb and Abumusa have great strategic value in the Persian Gulf as the water dept in most parts are inadequate for large ships except in the route between the islands. UAE has a village in Abumusa, thanks to the weakness of Shah, but has no claim and right on it’s waters. In fact the same weak Shah lost Bahrain in exchange for recognition of Iran sovereignty over the islands by UK, US and others. Since 1979 revolution, whenever things go south between Iran and the US, UAE starts whining about the islands. I’m sure it’s just a freak coincidence!.
Assad: Whaa…? Wait a minute… you’re telling me that some anonymous Syrian ‘businessmen’ went to the UAE and got those f’king chimps to pony up $2 billion by promising that Syria ‘will guarantee that Iran will not make any problems in their own islands’? Hah ha ha… Someone get Rouhani on the phone – he’ll love this one!
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The effort was not to make them less Iranian, but “to not make any problems in these islands”. Military bases for example, but docks and “villages” are considered normal. Sounds like Abumusa Island needs a Persian fishing village.
We will see a day when all these fake countries south of Persian gulf will come back to their righteous owners.
By the way, Garga, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are both broke – they just don’t want the world to know that. There will NEVER be $2 billion actually transferred to Syria. The ultra-wealthy want to flee Saudi Arabia and the Emirates before the financial collapse, but the governments won’t let them move their cash out to foreign banks.The Chinese can tide them over with loans, but that will come with secret deals for Saudis to sell their oil in yuan.
Both countries have plenty of assets, but not enough cash to buy anything or pay back debt. Their banks are closing, foreign banks are leaving, contractors are not getting paid, nobody will buy their new bonds and they’re cancelling orders for everything from passenger airplanes to office towers. They will never pay for all that US military crap that Trump was bragging about, and they haven’t paid for a lot of the stuff we already sent them. Israel will have to contend with a lot of pissed off Arabs pretty soon.
Iran just has to sit there with a bucket of popcorn watching the disaster unfold. Easiest Persian victory ever. I hope Iranians are nice and send the starving Saudis and Emirates some food aid when this is all over.
Iran is not the problem the media is portraying them to be in the Syrian crisis, Turkey is, the Arab league see Erdogan as the biggest threat to regional security now, not the Israelis, and not the Saudi/Iranian conflict either, the Arab league have been sorting out that problem over the last 12 months and the only problem left now is Erdogan.
turn coat it seems. first they spend zillions of bucks on unseating assad and when things don”t go the way they planned they turn around and pony up what could be seen as a penalty. moronistan (aka usa) has given up on syria and leave it to sort the problems caused, the 200 strong troop remaining is a token one to make it seem they do not desert the silly kurds, which they are.
israel is still a bother for donny but he’s not going to fight israel’s wars, even if son in law, kushner, would like him to do just that.
kushner have also failed to get mohammed bin salman to lead the way in the israeli crusade against iran and for that we can hope that mbs will have jared kashoggied. an end that is more likely now that the nuke-deal is scuppered, or seems to be scuppered, unless they can get it done on the sly, but on the other hand things don’t get done on the sly any longer so nukes to saudi is a no no.
and turkey will continue to harass the kurds with the blessings of syria, russia and iran and iraq and the kurds will soon be back being just tenants on the borders of turkey, syria, iraq and iran, just as it was until just a few years ago, and the destruction of syria, instigated by moronistan and israel was in vain and the best outcome of this failed attempt is if israel is completely destroyed and its squatters are sent on their way to the next diaspora.