"Secret Visits"... How are relations between Syria and Iraq being normalized?

The Iraqi and Syrian authorities are making strenuous efforts to normalize relations in the post-ouster period of the regime of the deposed Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, as the focus is currently on the security file in the first place, with talk of thinking about reactivating the Baniyas oil pipeline.

Iraq and Syria share a long border extending over 599 kilometers, most of which is desert. These areas have witnessed major security disturbances, especially with the emergence of ISIS and its control over large areas in both countries from 2014 to 2017.

"secret visits"

Regarding efforts to normalize relations between the two countries, Iraqi political sources revealed to Arabi21 that there are mutual visits between Iraq and Syria, taking place at the level of political and security figures, which the Iraqi side began about ten days after the fall of Assad.

However, visits between officials of the two countries are conducted unannounced, with the exception of the visit of the head of the Iraqi intelligence service, Hamid al-Shatri, who arrived in Damascus on December 26 and met with the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Iraqi sources, who requested anonymity, said, "The first visits that the Iraqi side began unofficially were those conducted by the former Iraqi politician and MP, Izzat Al-Shabandar, who is close to Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani."

The sources explained that "under the personal direction of Al-Sudani, Al-Shabandar visited Syria via Lebanese territory about ten days after the overthrow of Bashar Al-Assad's regime, and met with the leader of the new Syrian administration, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, in Damascus. The meeting between the two parties lasted for about two hours."

Al-Obaidi explained to "Arabi21" that "after the political change in Syria, the picture in the Syrian scene is still blurry, because the Iraqi government has reservations about the new Syrian administration so far, considering that its features and orientations have not yet become clear."

The expert expected that "Iraq's economic openness with Syria will require more time, because the focus will initially be on the security file, because things are still unclear on the Syrian side, and they have security challenges, in addition to the existence of areas outside the control of the current Syrian authority."

Al-Obaidi stressed that "any move on the economic side at the present time may be an adventure for Iraq, because the results are not guaranteed at present, as the economy is based primarily on the security side."

The economic expert explained that "the pipeline needs security protection in the first place and rehabilitation because it has been abandoned for a long time, in addition to the fact that the matter requires a partnership agreement with the Syrian side on who will undertake the rehabilitation and how to do so, and the amount of transit fees (oil passage)."

Arabic 21