Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa hosted a high-level Iraqi delegation led by the head of the Iraqi intelligence, Hamid al-Shatri, on Friday, with Sharaa possibly to Iraq for a summit of Arab leaders on May 17, according to Syrian state media SANA.
This is important because it comes after the first meeting between Al-Sharaa and Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani last week in Doham, leading to some controversy among pro-Iranian politicians in Iraq who opposed the Shara’a visit.
Sharaa overthrew the Assad regime, which was close to the Islamic Republic of Iran, and many pro-Iranian militias in Iraq fought in Syria during the civil war, backing Assad.
During the meeting in Damascus, “the two sides affirmed the sisterly Republic of Iraq’s support for Syria’s stability and territorial integrity, and the importance of joint cooperation to achieve security and stability in the region,” SANA reported. This is important because it shows that relations between Syria and Iraq are improving.
US-Syrian cooperation against terrorism
US forces are withdrawing from Syria, so these two countries will need to work together against terrorism. There is a vast area of desert region on the border between Iraq and Syria that has been exploited by extremists in the past. “Both sides also stressed the need for the encouragement of investments between the two countries, and signing trade deals between the Syrian Arab Republic and the Republic of Iraq in the oil and grain sectors, in addition to the formation of joint committees to follow up on the implementation of the deals,” Syrian state media said.
The countries also discussed the Al-Tanf border crossing near where US forces operate in Syria, meaning that the US forces could leave this area. US forces have backed a group called the Syrian Free Army. This group operates from a garrison called al-Tanf where dozens of US forces are present. This is an area of Southern Syria near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders, as well as near an IDP camp called Rukban, and thus is an important area for securing southern Syria.
The report said the Iraqis also “conveyed a confirmation message from Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, to President al-Sharaa regarding his attendance at the Arab Summit scheduled to be held in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on May 17.”