Iraqi PM al-Zaidi arrives in Syria in landmark post-Assad summit on security, trade - analysis

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Syria on October 28 for the first such visit since the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the border is secure and highlighted opportunities for economic cooperation, including trade corridors and oil pipelines. Sharaa also discussed his own 2003 trip to Iraq, a point the article notes Iraq views controversially.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Syria on October 28, 2026, leading a high-level delegation in the first such visit since the fall of the Assad regime in 2024. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the border is "completely" secure and highlighted a historic opportunity for economic cooperation. Sharaa stressed Syria's role as a trade corridor for Iraq, citing connections between Iraq's Faw Port and Syria's Tartous port, and called for rebuilding oil pipelines to Baniyas. He noted commercial traffic had increased significantly, with over 100,000 transit trucks and 40,000 import/export trucks in recent months. Sharaa also expressed support for al-Zaidi's anti-corruption efforts and argued that the decision of war and peace must remain with the state. The article notes that Sharaa discussed his own 2003 trip to Iraq, a point Iraq views controversially as it considers the groups he worked with to be terrorist organizations. The visit is framed as part of Damascus's attempt to rebuild regional ties through trade and security cooperation, with implications for Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan regarding Iranian-backed militias.