The two leaders confirm the deep and historical ties between their nations and praised the victories each country achieved in the fight against terrorism.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al-Sudani began an official state to Syria on Sunday, marking the first visit by an Iraqi premier since the beginning of the war on the country in 2012.
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad received the Prime Minister, during which he praised the relations between the two nations and stressed the need to further improve bilateral relations.
During their meeting at the People’s Palace, Al-Assad confirmed that Iraq and Syria standing by each other is an indicator of their brotherly relations.
The Syrian President added that the visit is the outcome of the deep and long-standing relationship that brings the countries together, highlighting that Iraq was Syria’s voice in the Arab and international forums in rejecting the aggression against the country.
Al-Assad saluted the Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilization Forces PMF, “who recorded the most wonderful victories in cooperation with the Syrian army and the auxiliary forces.”
“We meet today in light of major global challenges, foremost of which is the challenge of terrorism, which does not end because of Western support,” adding that the greatest challenge today is the theft of a large part of the Syrian and Iraqi share from the water of the Tigris river.
For his part, Al-Sudani told the Syrian President that the Iraqi people are proud of the steadfastness of the Syrian people in the face of the brutal terrorist attack they suffered from.
The Iraqi premier said discussions focused on permanent mutual cooperation in fighting terrorism, political issues, and a wide range of other fields of cooperation.
Ties between the two neighboring countries, both of which have suffered from, yet defeated, terrorist groups, on top of which was US-backed ISIS, saw remarkable improvements in the past few years, especially after Baghdad played a key role in the rapprochement between Syria and the Arab world following years-long of severed ties
Iraq’s efforts were crowned by the amended relations between Damascus and the Arab League last May, which led to Syria returning to the region’s largest political and trade institution.
Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Faissal Mekdad made a trip to Baghdad last month aimed to improve coordination, bilateral relations, and security cooperation between the two friendly nations.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein emphasized to Mekdad that the Iraqi-Syrian ties are deep and historical, stressing that his country’s stance in “supporting Syria and standing by it is firm.”
“Iraq and Syria seek to strengthen bilateral efforts to control common borders, prevent terrorist infiltration, and exchange intelligence information to ensure border security and stability,” Hussein added.
“The talks were constructive and included boosting cooperation in all fields…Syria and Iraq stand together in facing all common challenges,” Mekdad said concluding his visit. “We discussed joint efforts to countering terrorism, since what affects Syria affects Iraq and vice versa.”
Source: Almayadeen
