Iraqi Prime Minister Meets Syrian President in Damascus on Oil, Trade and Farming

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus on October 28, 2026, in the first visit by an Iraqi prime minister to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, according to Al Jazeera.

Al-Zaidi left Baghdad and arrived in Syria just before noon. He was accompanied by a delegation. Al-Sharaa received him at Damascus Airport and later welcomed him at the People's Palace in the Syrian capital, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA.

The two leaders discussed exporting Iraqi oil through the Baniyas line, a route that runs through Syria. They also discussed increasing the volume of trade between the two countries, and working together to develop agriculture in order to achieve food and economic integration. According to Al Jazeera, they discussed achieving stability through cooperation.

The oil discussions come as Iraq has recently begun exporting limited quantities of oil through Syria, following the outbreak of the US-led war on Iran. In July 2026, Iraq and Syria signed agreements to revive the Haditha-Baniyas pipeline, which would carry Iraqi oil. The same month, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding, a preliminary document setting out shared intentions, with a consortium of three companies that includes Chevron to carry out the pipeline project.

Al-Sharaa has also stressed the importance of supporting al-Zaidi's efforts to fight corruption and restrict weapons to the state, according to a SANA report published on October 27.

The two leaders had met before. They held talks in September 2026 in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.