Syrian Foreign Minister shakes hands with Bahraini counterpart in New York

For the first time in almost 7 years, the Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem shook hands with a senior diplomat from the Gulf States. Al-Moallem and Bahrain's Foreign Minister Khalid Bin Ahmed Al Khalifa had a short friendly meeting during the UN General Assembly in New York, where they warmly hugged and shook hands. Except for Oman, all GCC states severed its relations with Syria since the bloody unrest – which later turned into a bloody war – had swept the country on March 2011.