Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi visits Syria, first such trip since Assad's fall

Mixed · 2Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi left Baghdad on Wednesday 28 October for an official visit to Syria, leading a high-level delegation. 1 2 Centre · 1Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received him at Damascus International Airport, Syrian and Iraqi state media reported; Anadolu says it is al-Zaidi's first official visit to Syria since taking office in May. 3 Centre · 1Anadolu Agency describes it as the first such visit by an Iraqi premier after the fall of the Assad government in December 2024. 1

Centre · 1Anadolu, citing the Iraqi News Agency and the Prime Minister's Office, said no further details were given, but local media expected border security and counter-terrorism to be discussed. 1 Centre · 1Iraqi government spokesman Haider Al Aboodi said the talks would cover future relations and regional developments, with economic and trade co-operation as the priority. 4 Centre · 1On Tuesday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the border between the two countries is "completely" secure and that Damascus and Baghdad are already coordinating on several issues. 1

Right · 1In an interview with Iraq's Dijlah TV on Tuesday, Al-Sharaa said the two countries had a historic opportunity to deepen ties and build strong economies, and pointed to cooperation in trade, energy, agriculture, water and transport. 2 Right · 1He called for linking Iraq's Grand Faw Port to Syria's Tartus Port, and said trade has grown rapidly over the past six to seven months, with more than 100,000 transit trucks and 40,000 import and export trucks crossing between the countries. 2 Right · 1He also outlined energy plans, including oil pipelines to Syria's Baniyas port and refinery development, and said Iraqi investment in Syria, such as in cement, had begun. 2

Right · 1On security, Al-Sharaa urged support for Al-Zaidi's efforts to combat corruption and keep weapons under state control, saying decisions on war and peace should rest with the state. 2 Right · 1Al-Sharaa also said talks with Iraqi judicial officials had agreed to develop a program to assess the cases of detainees transferred to Baghdad by coalition forces, including Syrians who may be eligible to return home. 2 Centre · 2The two leaders had already met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York in September. 4 5

Centre · 2The National and AFP link the warming ties to the Iran war that began in February and the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, with Iraq now sending limited oil volumes across Syria to Baniyas port on the Mediterranean. 4 5 Centre · 1In July, Syria and Iraq signed memoranda of understanding to rehabilitate the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, and a consortium including Chevron, UCC Holding and TI Capital is to prepare studies for a new 2 million barrel-per-day line, a multibillion-dollar project estimated at four years, according to The National. 4 Centre · 2The National says Iraq holds 5,704 ISIS detainees transferred from Syria earlier this year, about 3,000 of them Syrians; AFP says Sharaa said some Syrians had "no connection" to IS and that efforts are under way to categorise them. 4 5

Centre · 1AFP notes Baghdad initially dealt cautiously with the new Syrian authorities, and that Sharaa, a former militant jailed in Iraq after the 2003 invasion, missed a 2025 Arab League summit in Baghdad after powerful Iraqi politicians opposed his attendance. 5 Right · 1The Jerusalem Post's analysis adds that Iran-backed militias in Iraq threaten Israel, that a secure Syria-Iraq border would help Israel, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and that recent Syria-Jordan tensions over a Jordanian airstrike on ISIS show possible problems. 6