Over the past few years, Gulf nations have been beginning to homogenise ties with the Bashar al-Assad government in Syria, with many even reestablishing their embassies in Damascus, which had been closed after the civil fight started in 2011. This was caused by the sensed strategic expenses of upholding Assad’s isolation even as he appeared embedded in power and while Iran’s leverage in the territory continued to expand.

Momentarily after Assad’s December 8 collapse, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Oman renewed their diplomatic movements in Damascus, and the latest Syrian government in turn welcomed them. This development followed discussions the new administration conducted with the ambassadors from these nations, as well as Qatar. Also, Bahrain, which led the Arab League this year, voiced its backing for the change via a note to the new administration in Syria. 

Meanwhile, KSA voiced the firmest support for Syria’s people after the collapse of Assad’s regime, praising actions taken by the latest administration in Damascus to defend Syria’s minorities and encourage stability. A Saudi panel led by an advisor from the KSA Royal Court sat with Syria’s new administrator on December 22, amid news that Saudi Arabia will begin delivering oil to Damascus. A satisfactory indicator that the KSA is serious about collaborating with Syria’s change is that the KSA is already collaborating at the most elevated level.

The UAE, which began the normalization procedure with Assad in the Gulf, was the last Gulf nation to publicly signal an optimistic arrangement with Syria’s new government, denoted by a phone conversation between the respective foreign ministers. It remains to be noticed whether the UAE will cautiously proceed to thoroughly and publicly endorse the new government in Damascus by shipping humanitarian or financial assistance to the nation in the forthcoming weeks, as neighbouring Qatar has already accomplished. 

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the United Arab Emirates’s president, voiced positiveness about the latest leadership’s speech on harmony. Gargash also firmly stressed the necessity to remain on defence given the latest leadership’s links to Islamist sections. He also noted that the Arab Ministerial Contact Committee on Syria’s engagement “recalled a favourable Arab strategy to defend our brothers in the way of political and peaceful shift” in Syria. These activities across the Gulf add up to a favourable sign that the nations that formalised with Assad are likely to negotiate pragmatically with the facts of the latest Syria.