Iraqi PM to visit Syria

Iraqi Prime Minister al-Zaidi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in during a meeting in New York. Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi is scheduled to arrive in Damascus on Wednesday for an official visit to Syria. The trip marks the first official visit by an Iraqi prime minister to Syria since Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa took office following the fall of the Assad regime. Al-Zaidi’s trip to Damascus is part of a broader regional tour. He recently met with Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Jafar Hassan in Amman on Monday and is expected to visit Lebanon as well. Al-Zaidi and al-Sharaa are expected to discuss mutual security and economic concerns. High-priority items on the agenda include border security, counter-terrorism, energy, and economy. The two leaders will discuss efforts to enhance coordination for securing the shared Iraq-Syria border, measures for intelligence sharing to combat regional terrorism, and initiatives to foster bilateral cooperation in the oil, energy, and trade sectors. The meeting comes after al-Zaidi sent an official message through the Iraqi National Intelligence Service to al-Sharaa earlier this year. The message set the stage for normalized bilateral contacts and security assessments between the two countries.