Iraq proposes establishing 'cooperation council' between Baghdad, Damascus

ANKARA

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein announced on Friday a proposal to establish "a cooperation council" between Baghdad and Damascus, noting that an operations room to combat the Daesh/ISIS terror group will also soon be established.

Hussein made the remarks during a press conference in Baghdad alongside with his Syrian counterpart Asaad Al-Shaibani, according to the official Iraqi News Agency.

"We discussed ISIS movements on the Iraqi-Syrian border, " Hussein said.

The Iraqi minister emphasized "the necessity of international cooperation to eliminate ISIS."

He added that "an operations room to combat ISIS will soon be established," announcing "a proposal to establish a cooperation council between Iraq and Syria."

For his part, Al-Shaibani said the purpose of his visit is "to enhance trade exchange between the two countries, remove obstacles hindering this, and opening the borders between our two countries will be a fundamental step in developing relations," according to the official Syrian state news agency SANA.

"We are in Baghdad at a moment where we renew the unity between Syria and Iraq and reaffirm the deep ties between the two brotherly countries," he also said.

"We are also ready to cooperate with Iraq in combating ISIS, as Syria's security is Iraq's security," the Syrian top diplomat added.

Despite heavy losses in the past few years, ISIS still maintains presence in both countries, especially in their border areas, and occasionally launches sporadic attacks.

Iraq is one of the few Arab countries that maintained relations with the former Syrian regime after it violently suppressed the 2011 uprising.

On Dec. 6, 2024, Baghdad hosted Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Syria’s then-foreign minister, Bassam Sabbagh, just two days before the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his subsequent flight to Russia. The meeting focused on security developments in Syria at that time.

However, following Assad's fall on Dec. 8, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani cautiously remarked in a press statement, “We are coordinating with Syria regarding border security and the return of refugees and are ready to offer support. We do not want Syria to become a hub for foreign conflicts.”

Hussein confirmed on Feb. 14 that “Iraq has no reservations or conditions for dealing with Syria's new leadership, only a set of opinions concerning Syria’s future, but the final decision lies with the Syrian people.”

Hussein also noted that Iraq plans to invite Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to attend the Arab summit set to take place in Baghdad in May.