Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani meets Syrian leader in Doha for the first time

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani met with Syrian interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa in Doha, Iraqi state media reported Thursday, in their first meeting since Bashar Al-Assad was toppled.

Sudani made “a quick visit to Qatar where he met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani” and Sharaa, the official INA news agency quoted a source close to the government as saying.

“The tripartite meeting is a result of the rapidly evolving events in the region, especially in Syria,” the source added, without specifying when the meeting took place.

The ouster of Assad, who was a close ally of the government in Baghdad, has complicated relations between the two neighbouring countries.

On Wednesday, Sudani said that Baghdad invited Sharaa to the Arab League summit expected to be held in Baghdad in May.

If Sharaa attends, it would mark his first public visit to the country where he was jailed for years on charges of joining al-Qaeda after the 2003 US-led invasion.

During the Doha meeting, Sudani called for “an inclusive political process” in Syria, which guarantees “the protection of all social, religious and national components”, the source told INA.

Sudani also urged the Syrian government to take “serious steps to combat” the Islamic State group.

He stressed that achieving “tangible progress” on these issues could enhance relations between both countries and lead to “establishing cooperation mechanisms that serve their interests” and “improve security and stability in the region”.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani visited Baghdad last month and said his government was ready to “reinforce cooperation” with Iraq in security and trade.

Iraq remains scarred by decades of conflict since the US-led invasion, which was followed by a sectarian conflict, al-Qaeda insurgencies, and the rise of the Islamic State group.

AFP