Critical contact between Syria and Iraq: the first since 2011

There has been a notable development in the Middle East, where normalization steps have been taken recently.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani yesterday paid an official visit for the first time since the civil war that began in Syria in 2011 and met with Syrian President Bashar Assad.

In a joint press release, Assad and Sudani said they discussed protecting the 600-kilometre-long border between the two countries from security threats, including the Islamic State militant organization, and agreed to increase cooperation to reduce the drug traffic.

Sudani also suffers from reduced rainfall, climate change and from dams in Türkiye. Explaining that they are discussing ways to combat the drought in the two countries, he said: “We must cooperate to get our fair share of the water.”

Sudani said that Iraq supports the lifting of the sanctions that the United States and European countries launched against Syria in 2011 and later expanded their scope.

Sudani made his visit at a time when other countries, such as Saudi Arabia, were taking steps to rebuild relations with Damascus after years of tension.