Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani stressed during a meeting in Damascus on Sunday the need to strengthen relations between the two countries in the various security and economic fields in light of regional changes with the return of Damascus to the Arab embrace.
The visit of al-Sudani, who arrived in Damascus on Sunday morning, follows an invitation from al-Assad that was conveyed to him by Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad last month.
The Syrian presidency announced that al-Assad and al-Sudani discussed “strengthening cooperation between the two countries in various fields, including trade exchange, transport and industry, and permanent coordination on various political issues, in addition to joint efforts in combating terrorism.” The visit is the first by an Iraqi prime minister to Syria in more than a decade.
During a press conference, al-Assad said, “There are challenges that we face directly and in particular, foremost of which is the challenge of terrorism,” stressing the importance of cooperation between the forces of the two countries, which share a border of 600 km.
The border security file is a major issue, especially with regard to the activity of ISIS, and the issue of drug smuggling, which is one of the biggest sources of concern.
The two countries also share other files, such as water, as they share the course of the Euphrates River, which originates in Turkey. The two countries complain about the decline in the flow of its water and hold Ankara partly responsible.
Al-Assad touched on “the challenges of stealing Syria and Iraq’s share of the Euphrates River water, and what this thing means in terms of thirst and hunger due to the disastrous situation of crops and the spread of diseases and the spread of epidemics and pandemics.”
The two officials also discussed ways to enhance economic relations in a way that benefits them and “mitigates the repercussions of the unjust siege on Syria,” according to al-Assad, referring to Western economic sanctions.
The Syrian president called for “taking advantage of the new positivity” in Arab cooperation, considering Sudani’s visit an “opportunity” to strengthen relations between the two countries “in a serious and effective way, especially as it comes in light of the improvement in Arab conditions.”
During the press conference, Al-Sudani affirmed “Iraq’s position in support of the Syrian territorial integrity and extending the hand of the Syrian state and the law over all of its territory.”
And he considered that “security challenges are certainly a major concern,” stressing the need for “more coordination at the level of security services, especially in the border areas,” as well as cooperation between the two countries and talking “with upstream countries to ensure fair water shares” for the two countries.
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2023-07-16 13:10:31
