DUBAI, Dec 2, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler discussed "new crises" in the Middle East with the UAE's president 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 Omani border, hours after a Gulf Cooperation Council summit in Kuwait.

The trip, termed a "private visit" by Saudi official media, took place after Syrian rebels seized control of Aleppo, the country's second biggest 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 WAM news agency said.

"They underscored the need for concerted efforts to maintain regional stability and prevent the region descending into new crises that could threaten its security."

According to Emirati media, it was Prince Mohammed's first time in the neighbouring country and fellow oil power 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.

Rumours of a rift between the two had been rife.

The UAE president, 63, was once seen as a mentor to the 39-year-old Saudi heir who is aggressively reshaping his country's oil-reliant economy.

The wealthy Gulf states were initially key backers of Syrian opposition groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad's government since the Arab Spring protests of 2011.

But they later reversed course, with the UAE restoring diplomatic ties in 2018.

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

The renewed challenge to Syria's Iran-backed government followed last week's ceasefire in Israel's war against Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, in neighbouring Lebanon.