Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi made a historic visit to Damascus on October 28, 2026, meeting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in the first such trip since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Driven by Middle East war disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, the leaders focused on economic integration and energy alternatives, agreeing to advance plans to export up to 2 million barrels per day of Iraqi oil via the revived Baniyas pipeline in partnership with Chevron. The sides also coordinated on border security and IS detainee management.
Iraqi Prime Minister's visit to Syria
- ▪Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi described Iraqis and Syrians as 'one people in two countries' during his Damascus visit while urging expanded cooperation in economic, social, and security spheres.
- ▪Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Damascus, marking the first visit by an Iraqi prime minister to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad
- ▪Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited the Sayyida Zeinab shrine and the Umayyad Mosque during his trip to Syria, donating $10 million from his personal account to the two sites.
- ▪Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at Damascus International Airport before holding official bilateral talks at the People’s Palace.
Economic and trade cooperation
- ▪Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed expanding trade, encouraging investment, and developing the agricultural sector
- ▪Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that commercial traffic between Syria and Iraq increased significantly over six to seven months, including more than 100,000 transit trucks and 40,000 import and export trucks.
- ▪Iraqi government spokesman Haider Al Aboudi stated on October 28, 2026, that economic and trade cooperation would be the priority for talks between Iraqi and Syrian leaders.
Oil pipelines and energy transport
- ▪Iraq began exporting limited quantities of oil by truck through Syria to the Mediterranean after maritime traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was disrupted following the outbreak of the Middle East war.
- ▪Iraq exports approximately 500,000 tonnes of fuel oil per month by lorry across Syria to Baniyas port while importing petrol through the same route to cover a daily shortfall of 5 million litres.
- ▪Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed exporting Iraqi oil through the Baniyas pipeline with a capacity of up to 2 million barrels per day.
- ▪Iraq and Syria signed a memorandum of understanding in July 2026 to rehabilitate the Haditha-Baniyas pipeline, with a corporate consortium including U.S. energy company Chevron set to implement technical and financial studies.
Security cooperation and border management
- ▪Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa agreed to enhance security cooperation, border security, counter-terrorism efforts, and position coordination on regional and international issues.
- ▪Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that the border between Syria and Iraq is completely secure and that no armed group poses a threat to the two countries.
Detainee transfers and repatriation
- ▪The United States transferred over 5,700 Daesh group detainees from Syria to Iraq in February 2026, including around 3,000 Syrian detainees whose cases are under review for potential repatriation.
- ▪Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated on October 27, 2026, that Syria must bear responsibility for Syrian detainees transferred to Iraq rather than shift the burden.
Story comments
Loading comments…