UAE President congratulates Syria's Al-Sharaa on interim appointment

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has congratulated Ahmed al-Sharaa on his selection as interim president of Syria.

Al-Sharaa led the overthrow of longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad last month, alongside other rebel force commanders, who consolidated his position as transitional president on Wednesday. 

The declaration announced that "Sharaa has assumed the presidency of the country in the transitional phase" and would "carry out the duties of the presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic, and represent it in international forums".

The UAE has taken a supportive stance towards Syria since the fall of Assad's regime, stressing its commitment to its unity and security, and calling for the protection of its national institutions.

Syria's transitional Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad al-Shibani was received by his Emirati counterpart in the UAE in early January.

UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan also joined foreign ministers from the region and elsewhere in Riyadh this month, in the first regional meeting on Syria.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, dispatched similar congratulatory messages to President Al-Sharaa.