President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Damascus on Wednesday in the first visit by an Iranian leader to Syria since the civil war began.
He landed at Damascus International Airport shortly after 10am local time (11am UAE time), state media reported.
“Syrian-Iranian relations are rich in content, rich in experiences and rich in the vision that they formed and because they were also, during difficult periods, a stable and constant relationship despite the severe political and security storms that struck the Middle East,” President Bashar Al Assad said during a meeting with President Raisi after an official reception at the presidential palace.
The two discussed relations and regional developments, Syrian state news agency Sana reported. Mr Raisi praised Damascus for its “victory despite the threats and sanctions imposed against you”.
The presidents signed a long-term strategic co-operation agreement, including a memorandum of understanding on oil industry co-operation, the Syrian state news agency reported.
Syria's eastern oilfields have been in long term production decline and heavily damaged by conflict, but they are also currently under the control of US-backed Kurdish militias. Syria has been largely dependent on Iranian oil and fuel supplies, but shipments have dropped in recent months due to problems Syria has had paying Tehran.
The drop in deliveries has worsened an already severe fuel crisis in Syria.
His two-day visit, the first in 13 years by a high Iranian official, will focus on strengthening economic relations between the countries, government officials said.
The trip takes place at a time of increasing efforts among states to bring Damascus back into the international fold after more than a decade of isolation.
The Iranian delegation includes Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Defence Minister Mohammad Reza Ashtani, and Oil Minister Javad Oji.
The visit shows the victory of the political will of the resistance and the success of the government's diplomacy in completing the regional integration process,” said Mr Amirabdollahian.
Iran's military support helped the Syrian regime regain much of its territory during the civil war.
In addition to sending Iranian advisers led by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' Quds Force general Qassem Suleimani — who was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad in 2020 — the IRGC created a huge network of foreign militias in Syria.
They include proxy fighters from Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces, Lebanon's Hezbollah and Shiite recruits from Afghanistan, part of an alliance that pro-IRGC figures called “the resistance.”
Syria's pro-government Al Watan newspaper reported that deals on “energy and electricity” were among a large number of agreements and memorandums of understanding expected to be signed.
There will also be discussions on a new Iranian credit line for Syria for investment in the power sector, the daily said, in a country where power cuts can last for as long as 20 hours a day.
In January 2019, Syria and Iran signed 11 agreements, including one on “long-term strategic economic co-operation”.
Damascus-based analyst Osama Danura said the visit would “open a new page in the close relationship between the two countries”, noting that Iran had “put itself forward strongly as a contributor to the reconstruction phase”.
Mr Ashtani attended talks in Istanbul last week to discuss Syrian security and efforts to normalise relations between Turkey and Syria.
Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016 after protesters stormed its diplomatic posts in Iran following the kingdom's execution of a prominent Shiite cleric.
Riyadh and Tehran announced a restoration of diplomatic ties after five rounds of Chinese-brokered talks, and are expected to reopen their respective embassies by June.
Mr Amirabdollahian visited Damascus in March and said Tehran was in favour of the Arab world's aid to Syria after February's deadly earthquake.
This week's trip will mainly focus on economic ties and the signing a series of related agreements, a senior Iranian Foreign Ministry official told IRNA.
“In such a situation, when the economic and political relations of the two countries, Iran and Syria, are at their best level, carrying out this trip and signing the prepared memorandums will strengthen the relations between the two countries,” said Abbas Golro, head of the parliament's foreign relations committee, who is accompanying Mr Raisi to Damascus.
The trip sends a wider “message to the region”, he said, adding that economic plans made before the civil war are now taking effect.
Co-operation and the improvement of relations with regional neighbours have been a priority of the Raisi administration, first Vice President Mohammed Mokhber said last month.
Babumoshai Bandookbaaz
Director: Kushan Nandy
Starring: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Bidita Bag, Jatin Goswami
Three stars
UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
ARGYLLE
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A general guide to how active you are:
Less than 5,000 steps - sedentary
5,000 - 9,999 steps - lightly active
10,000 - 12,500 steps - active
12,500 - highly active
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Fernandes pen 2') Tottenham Hotspur 6 (Ndombele 4', Son 7' & 37' Kane (30' & pen 79, Aurier 51')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
The biog
Favourite film: The Notebook
Favourite book: What I know for sure by Oprah Winfrey
Favourite quote: “Social equality is the only basis of human happiness” Nelson Madela. Hometown: Emmen, The Netherlands
Favourite activities: Walking on the beach, eating at restaurants and spending time with friends
Job: Founder and Managing Director of Mawaheb from Beautiful Peopl
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
What is dialysis?
Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.
It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.
There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.
In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.
In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.
It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.
Law%2041.9.4%20of%20men%E2%80%99s%20T20I%20playing%20conditions
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014
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BIRD%20BOX%20BARCELONA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20and%20Alex%20Pastor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGeorgina%20Campbell%2C%20Mario%20Casas%2C%20Diego%20Calva%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Scorecard:
England 458 & 119/1 (51.0 ov)
South Africa 361
England lead by 216 runs with 9 wickets remaining
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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