DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates met with Syria’s once widely shunned president in Damascus on Tuesday, sending the clearest signal yet that the Arab world is willing to re-engage with strongman Bashar Assad.

The visit by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan is the first by an Emirati foreign minister since Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011. It comes as some Arab countries are improving ties with Syria. The U.S., a close Emirati partner, promptly criticized the visit, saying it would not support any normalization with Assad’s government.

The rapprochement, however, could serve both sides.

Syria badly needs to boost relations with oil-rich countries as its economy is being strangled by crippling Western sanctions and it faces the task of post-war reconstruction. The UAE is also home to thousands of Syrians who work in the Gulf nation and send money to their relatives at home.

Most Gulf countries, at odds with regional rival Iran, seek warmer ties with Damascus, hoping to peel it away from Tehran. Iran is a traditional ally of Syria and sent advisers and resources to back Assad during the 10-year war.

Several years into the fighting, Iran’s backing for Assad, along with that of Russia, helped the Syrian leader push back the insurgents, who are now confined to a small area of northwestern Syria.

Reducing Iran’s influence in Syria may be a difficult challenge for Gulf countries, said Chris Doyle, director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding. “It will be almost impossible to shift Iran’s position in Syria in the short term,” he said. “Iran is too well embedded.”

“At best the Syrian regime may start to play Iran and the UAE off against each other in order to obtain some independent room for maneuver,” he said. Doyle added that other Arab states, wary of being used by Damascus, will be watching to see how the relationship develops.

Sheikh Abdullah headed a large delegation to Damascus, according to Syrian state TV.

The UAE’s state-run WAM news agency said the foreign minister “underlined UAE’s keenness to ensure the security, stability and unity of Syria and its support for all efforts made to end the Syrian crisis.”

Assad’s office said the two sides discussed ways of developing cooperation and investment opportunities. It quoted Assad as praising “the objective and wise stances taken by the United Arab Emirates.” The UAE always stood by the Syrian people, Assad was quoted as saying.

In Washington, the State Department was quick to object to the visit.

Last month, the UAE’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed received a telephone call from Assad in which they discussed strengthening relations and cooperation.

The UAE, which initially supported those trying to topple Assad, reopened its embassy in Damascus in December 2018 but relations remained cold.

In September, Assad called King Abdullah II of Jordan for the first time since Syria’s conflict began. The two countries also reopened a major border crossing.

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