Flag of Egypt use until Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the formation of the United Arab Republic in 1958. In 1958, Egypt and Syria united as the United Arab Republic (UAR) and adopted a national flag based on the Arab Liberation flag, with two green stars (representing the two countries of the union) replacing the Eagle of Saladin in the white band. A modified version of the Eagle of Saladin was adopted as the UAR's coat of arms. The flag is now used as the national flag of Syria. Though Syria withdrew from the U.A.R. in 1961, Egypt continued to use the official name
Foreign relations of the Soviet Union Unaccepted by Muslim nations in the region, South Yemen relied on aid from Communist nations and allowed the Soviets to keep naval bases in the country. In 1972, after a war broke out between the two neighboring Yemen states, the Yemen Arab Republic and South Yemen agreed to eventually unify. In October 1979, the Soviet Union and South Yemen officially signed a Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation. Despite the aid it now received from the United States following a brief spat with South Yemen between 1978 and 1979, the Yemen Arab Republic would not break with the Soviets and later