Syria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani received an invitation “to visit Iraq to discuss several mutual issues and open a new chapter in the two countries’ relations”, Anadolu news agency reported.
The announcement came in a statement issued by the Syrian state news agency SANA, following reports from Arab media suggesting that the visit was scheduled for Saturday.
The statement clarified that the date for the visit will be determined later, after completing the agenda and conducting the necessary technical consultations to select an appropriate time.
Iraq is one of the few Arab countries that maintained relations with the former Syrian regime after it violently suppressed the 2011 uprising.
On 6 December 2024, Baghdad hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Syria’s then-foreign minister, Bassam Sabbagh, just two days before the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his subsequent flight to Russia. The meeting focused on security developments in Syria at that time.
However, following Assad’s fall on 18 December, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani cautiously remarked in a press statement, “We are coordinating with Syria regarding border security and the return of refugees and are ready to offer support. We do not want Syria to become a hub for foreign conflicts.”
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein confirmed on 14 February that “Iraq has no reservations or conditions for dealing with Syria’s new leadership, only a set of opinions concerning Syria’s future, but the final decision lies with the Syrian people.”
Hussein also noted that Iraq plans to invite Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to attend the Arab summit set to take place in Baghdad in May.