The United Arab Emirates’ economy ministry said on Sunday that the Gulf state and Syria had agreed on future plans to enhance economic cooperation and explore new sectors, in a move that move underscores shifting regional dynamics after 10 years of war in Syria.

The ministry wrote on Twitter that the value of non-oil trade between the two countries in the first half of 2021 was one billion dirhams ($272 million).

The UAE had supported the foreign-backed militant opposition during the early years of the conflict in Syria. But as the Syrian army recaptured most of the territory from the terrorists, the UAE and other Arab countries made openings towards the Syrian Government.

In 2018, the UAE reopened its embassy in Damascus for the first time since the start of an organized Arab diplomatic boycott in 2011.

Last week, the UAE’s economy minister met his Syrian counterpart on the sidelines of the Dubai Expo 2020, where they looked at ways to expand their relationship, according to the state-run WAM news agency.