Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani became the latest Middle Eastern leader to hold a high-level state visit to Syria, a significant move in the ties between the two countries. When ISIS rose to power in 2014, it conquered parts of Iraq by using the chaos of Syria’s Civil War as a springboard.
Now, it is mostly defeated. Iran, as a key ally of both Iraq and Syria, uses them to move weapons to Lebanon, threatening Israel. Al-Sudani’s visit is important because it can play into Iran’s hands. On the other side of the coin, Iraq signed a new energy deal and is in the midst of trying to get around sanctions on Iran to conduct more trade, and it helped broker the Iran-Saudi deal.
The visit to Syria is being monitored closely in Lebanon and across the region as well. Arab News, in the Gulf, reported that the Iraqi leader was on his first visit since 2011, with the goal of bolstering economic ties and establishing policies for the border area of Al-Qaim and Albukamal, a strategic crossing that has been used by Iranian-backed militias and extremist groups.
“Iraq and Syria, which have close economic ties, maintained relations throughout Syria’s civil war even as other Arab states withdrew their ambassadors and closed their embassies in Syria,” Arab News noted.
The drug trade from Syria is also an important factor here; the report notes that Baghdad and Tehran are both trying to crack down on the trade of Captagon. Pro-Iranian media Al-Mayadeen reported on the meeting as well, as did Syrian state media, which praised it.
Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani review an honor guard in Damascus, Syria July 16, 2023. (credit: SYRIAN PRESIDENCY/HANDOUT VIA REUTERS)Reports noted that al-Sudani was meeting Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad and that Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad visited Iraq in early June, where he met his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, and the Iraqi prime minister and president.
Iraqi support for Syria
Baghdad expressed its “support for the path of achieving civil peace in Syria and all negotiations related to it…Iraq and Syria seek to strengthen bilateral efforts to control common borders, prevent terrorist infiltration, and exchange intelligence information to ensure border security and stability,” according to the report.
Kurdish media in Erbil noted as well yesterday that al-Sudani on Friday received a phone call from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “discussing Iraq’s plan to develop transportation routes from its southern port to its northern border. The phone call came two days after Erdogan said he has no issue with resuming exports of Kurdish oil through Turkey,” according to Rudaw. The two countries are also working on development, including a rail project.
Meanwhile, the AP noted on Thursday that “Iraqi officials… defended a deal inked this week to barter oil for gas with Iran, saying that the deal does not violate US sanctions on Tehran and that it will help alleviate a worsening electricity crisis in Iraq.” Iraq is trying to play both sides, working with Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Saudi Arabia and trying to get deals from each.
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