Baghdad, Iraq- A political source revealed that Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad Al-Shibani is set to visit Iraq next week, marking a significant step in the diplomatic relations between the two nations. However, the scheduled visit of Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, to Baghdad remains uncertain. Since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime, Iraq and Syria have had limited high-level diplomatic exchanges, with the only notable exception being Iraq’s intelligence chief, Hamid Al-Shatri, visiting Damascus.
Iraq’s official position on Syria’s ongoing political transformation remains unclear. Despite the recent appointment of Ahmad Al-Sharaa as Syria’s transitional president, Iraqi officials have refrained from issuing a formal response, opting instead to monitor the situation closely before taking an official stance.
According to the Syrian political source, while Al-Sharaa has received an invitation to visit Iraq, there has been no official confirmation from Baghdad thus far. Concerns within Syria’s new leadership have arisen, with some eager for the visit but wary of potential backlash from Iraqi political figures, particularly in light of reports of an arrest warrant against Al-Sharaa.
Syria’s new leadership is currently under international protection, and any foreign visits, including to Iraq, are expected to be conducted with support from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey.
Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mahmoud Al-Mashhadani has expressed his opposition to Al-Sharaa’s visit, suggesting that it could upset Iraq’s Shia population. Al-Mashhadani noted that he was unsure why certain Sunni groups were supportive of Al-Sharaa, though he speculated that his sectarian background could be a factor.
In related developments, a source from the Coordination Framework dismissed rumors of internal opposition to the Iraqi government’s invitation to Al-Sharaa for the upcoming Arab League summit. The source called these rumors efforts to create confusion and undermine the government’s work.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein confirmed earlier this week that he had extended an official invitation to Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad Al-Shibani to visit Baghdad soon. Hussein also affirmed that the upcoming Arab League summit, scheduled for May, would include invitations to all Arab heads of state, including Al-Sharaa. The Arab League has responded positively to Iraq’s request to host the summit, which was made during the May 2023 Riyadh summit.
Following Syria’s decision to relinquish its rights to host the 34th Arab League summit, Iraq will now host the event in 2025. Syria has been making efforts to re-engage diplomatically after the fall of Al-Assad’s regime, with Arab and international delegations visiting Damascus to engage in talks aimed at strengthening ties with the Arab world.
