Reports: Emiratis to build solar power station in Syria

Reports: Emiratis to build solar power station in Syria

SeattlePI.com

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DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Syria signed a contract Thursday with a group of companies from the United Arab Emirates to build a solar power station in a Damascus suburb, the government announced. It was the latest indication that the Arab world is willing to re-engage with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Earlier this week, UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Assad in Damascus, the first such visit since the Syrian conflict started a decade ago. Assad’s office said they discussed ways of developing cooperation and investment opportunities during the meeting Tuesday.

Syrian government forces now control much of the country, thanks to allies Russia and Iran, which have helped tip the balance of power in Assad's favor. The civil war that began in 2011 has killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced half the country’s population and left large parts of Syria destroyed.

There has been speculation that the Emirati overtures may be seeking to pull Damascus away from Tehran's influence. However, Iran’s state TV reported Thursday that Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian in a phone conversation with his Emirati counterpart said bilateral relations were of special importance for both countries.

“We are confident that a good trend in improving relations will lead to the full development of relations between the two countries,” Iran's top diplomat was quoted as saying. He also expressed hopes for trade relations between the two.

The report described the visit of Sheikh Abdullah to Syria as a positive step. It also said the UAE foreign minister invited Amirabdullahian to visit the federation and that his Iranian counterpart in return invited him to visit Tehran.

According to Syrian state media, the solar power station will be constructed in the...

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