(Bloomberg) -- The United Arab Emirates opened its embassy in Damascus on Thursday, in a sign of warming ties between Syria and its Arab neighbors after nearly eight years of isolation.
“The move confirms the U.A.E. government's keenness to restore ties between the two brotherly countries,” state-run WAM news agency reported, citing a foreign ministry statement. The move is aimed at “warding off the dangers of regional interference in Syrian Arab affairs,” it said.
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U.A.E. closed its mission in Syria in 2011 after protesters attacked the embassy on the same day the Arab League suspended Damascus' membership over President Bashar al Assad's crackdown on anti-government protests.
The U.A.E. charge d'affaires began work at the embassy on Thursday, WAM reported.
--With assistance from Abbas Al Lawati.
To contact the reporter on this story: Dana Khraiche in Beirut at dkhraiche@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Shaji Mathew at shajimathew@bloomberg.net
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