Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi meets Ahmed al-Sharaa in historic Syria visit

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi shake hands as they meet at the People's Palace in Damascus, Syria [Khalil Ashawi/Reuters]

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has arrived in Damascus to meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the first visit of an Iraqi prime minister to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

The visit comes as the two neighbours seek to strengthen bilateral ties and boost economic and oil cooperation.

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According to the official Iraqi News Agency (INA), the two leaders discussed the export of Iraqi oil through the Baniyas line , increasing the volume of trade exchange and joint work to develop the agricultural sector to achieve food and economic integration.

Iraq has recently begun exporting limited quantities of oil through Syria following the outbreak of the US-led war on Iran.

Last July, the two countries signed agreements to revive the Haditha Baniyas pipeline to transport Iraqi oil in addition to signing a memorandum of understanding with a consortium of three companies, most notably the American oil major Chevron to implement the project.

“The Iraqi and Syrian people are one people in two countries,” Zaidi said according to INA, noting that “work to develop partnership and joint cooperation in various fields especially economic and social affairs, enhance security co-operation, unify positions on regional and international issues, and work to achieve peace and stability in the region”.

For his part, the Syrian president expressed his “great appreciation for the visit of al-Zaidi and his accompanying delegation,” stressing “the depth of bilateral relations and Syria’s keenness to achieve the highest levels of cooperation between the two countries”.

Al-Sharaa and al-Zaidi had previously met last September in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where they discussed ways to strengthen political and security coordination and expand economic and trade cooperation.

叙利亚总统艾哈迈德·萨拉和伊拉克总理阿里·法利赫·扎伊迪在叙利亚大马士革人民宫会面时握手 [Khalil Ashawi/路透社]

伊拉克总理阿里·扎伊迪抵达大马士革，与叙利亚总统艾哈迈德·沙拉会面。这是自巴沙尔·阿萨德政权倒台以来，伊拉克总理首次访问叙利亚。

此次访问正值两国寻求加强双边关系、促进经济和石油合作之际。

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据伊拉克官方通讯社（INA）报道，两国领导人讨论了通过巴尼亚斯输油管道出口伊拉克石油、增加贸易额以及共同发展农业部门以实现粮食和经济一体化等事宜。

自美国领导的对伊朗战争爆发以来，伊拉克最近开始通过叙利亚出口少量石油。

去年七月，两国签署协议，重启哈迪塞巴尼亚斯输油管道，用于输送伊拉克石油；此外，两国还与由三家公司组成的财团（其中最引人注目的是美国石油巨头雪佛龙公司）签署了一份谅解备忘录，以实施该项目。

据伊拉克通讯社（INA）报道，扎伊迪表示：“伊拉克和叙利亚人民是两个国家中的一个民族”，并指出“应努力在各个领域，特别是经济和社会事务方面发展伙伴关系和联合合作，加强安全合作，统一在区域和国际问题上的立场，并努力实现该地区的和平与稳定”。

叙利亚总统表示“非常感谢扎伊迪及其随行代表团的来访”，并强调“两国关系的深度以及叙利亚致力于实现两国最高水平合作的决心”。

去年九月，沙拉和扎伊迪曾在纽约联合国大会期间会面，讨论了加强政治和安全协调以及扩大经济和贸易合作的方法。