Saudi prince talks about ‘new crises’ during his long-awaited visit to the United Arab Emirates.

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Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler spoke to the president of the United Arab Emirates about “new crises” in the Middle East during his first visit to the country in three years, Emirati media said.

Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and UAE leader Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met on Sunday in Al Ain, a former oasis on the border with Oman, hours after a Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait.

The trip, described by official Saudi media as a “private visit,” came after Syrian rebels seized control of Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city, in a shock offensive.

The two royals “reviewed the latest regional and international developments, with a particular focus on the Middle East,” the UAE’s official news agency, WAM, said.

“They underscored the need for concerted efforts to maintain regional stability and prevent the region from falling into new crises that could endanger its security.”

According to Emirati media, it was Prince Mohammed’s first visit to the neighboring country and oil colleague since a state visit in 2021.

Prince Mohammed, often known as “MBS,” and Sheikh Mohamed, or “MBZ,” also met in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam in May.

Rumors of a rift between the two were widespread.

The 63-year-old United Arab Emirates president was once seen as a mentor to the 39-year-old Saudi heir, who is aggressively transforming his country’s oil-dependent economy.

The wealthy Gulf states were initially key supporters of the Syrian opposition groups that have been fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad since the Arab Spring protests in 2011.

But they later changed course and the UAE restored diplomatic ties in 2018.

Saudi Arabia restored ties with Damascus last year after inviting Assad to an Arab League meeting in Jeddah, ending Syria’s regional isolation.

The renewed challenge to the Iranian-backed Syrian government followed last week’s ceasefire in Israel’s war against Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, in neighboring Lebanon.