Iraq and Syria have agreed to establish a joint committee covering energy, agriculture, water, transport and border crossings as part of a push to deepen bilateral co-operation and economic integration.
The agreement was announced on Monday after Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein’s first official visit to Damascus since the fall of the Assad regime, which came at the invitation of Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al Shibani, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said.
The agreement was reached at a meeting between Mr Hussein and Mr Al Shibani, also attended by Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed Al Bashir.
The new technical committee’s remit will be to develop co-operation in the agreed sectors in a way that “contributes to advancing joint work and enhancing mutual interests”, a joint statement revealed. Baghdad and Damascus also agreed to create a higher-level joint co-ordination committee chaired by their respective foreign ministers.
Energy infrastructure featured prominently in the talks. The ministers discussed mechanisms for the transit of energy supplies and a project to rehabilitate oil pipelines from Iraq to Syria. They also addressed co-operation in water and agriculture, saying it would strengthen food security, economic integration and shared interests.
Security was another area of focus, with both sides discussing increased co-ordination and collaboration to boost the stability of the two neighbours and the wider region, as well as confronting common challenges.
Mr Al Shibani received the Iraqi delegation at Tishreen Palace, Syria’s state-run news agency Sana reported. It said the meeting comes as the two neighbours seek to “enhance co-operation and deepen co-ordination on issues of mutual interest”, and reflects “continuing efforts by Damascus and Baghdad to expand political and institutional co-operation and promote closer co-ordination on regional and bilateral issues”.
Mr Hussein, who also met Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara, told the Iraqi News Agency that the economic discussions “focused primarily on the oil pipelines extending to the Baniyas refinery” on Syria’s Mediterranean coast.
Iraq has turned to Syria as an alternative route for exporting its oil after the Iran war halted nearly all energy shipments through the Strait of Hormuz since March. Baghdad began sending oil through Syria by road in April, for shipment from Baniyas port.
The Iraqi Foreign Minister’s visit to Damascus follows a meeting with Mr Al Shibani on the sidelines of the Arab League ministerial meetings in Amman last week, where the Syrian Foreign Minister extended a formal invitation to visit Damascus.
Iraq has long sought stability along its border with Syria, where ISIS remnants and drug trafficking networks continue to pose serious security challenges.
When the Assad regime fell, Baghdad was wary of the newly established figures, many of whom had former links to Al Qaeda. Since then, however, the two sides have built a relationship largely driven by security co-operation. Thousands of suspected ISIS members have been transferred from Syria to Iraq in recent months.
With Iran blocking the Strait of Hormuz, Iraq, whose only access to the sea is through Basra, near the strait, looked for alternative export routes. In April, Opec’s second-largest oil producer began exporting fuel oil through Syria, building on the security relationship to open the door for broader economic co-operation.
Mr Hussein’s visit comes at a critical moment in the Middle East, as Iran and the US negotiate a permanent peace deal that could impact the region’s dynamics for decades to come.
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