US ‘Troubled’ by Syrian President’s First Visit to UAE Since 2011 War

US ‘Troubled’ by Syrian President’s First Visit to UAE Since 2011 War
US State Department spokesman Ned Price speaks during the daily press briefing at the State Department in Washington, on Feb. 25, 2021. Nicholas Kamm/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
Aldgra Fredly
Updated:

The United States said Friday that it was “profoundly disappointed and troubled” by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), calling it an attempt to “legitimize Assad.”

The Syrian Presidency said Friday that Assad met with Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also a vice president and Prime Minister of the UAE, making his first trip to an Arab country since the Syrian war began in 2011.