Iraqi PM Ali al-Zaidi makes first Syria visit since Assad’s fall in 2024, as Sharaa says “something positive” has been built in Syrian-Iraqi ties

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Damascus on Wednesday for the first visit to Syria by an Iraqi prime minister since former President Bashar al-Assad’s fall in December 2024. Syrian state media reported that Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa received him, and state television said Sharaa welcomed al-Zaidi and his delegation at Damascus International Airport.

The two leaders also held talks last month in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In an interview aired Tuesday by Iraqi television channel Dijlah, Sharaa welcomed al-Zaidi’s visit and said that “in the past year and a half, something positive has been built in Syrian-Iraqi relations, particularly in economic matters.”

Sharaa also said some of the approximately 3,000 Syrian detainees transferred to Iraq had “no connection” to Isis. He said efforts were underway to classify the detainees, assess Syria’s responsibility and explore options for repatriating them.