❗️Iraqi PM arrives in Damascus for first visit since December 2024 Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi arrived in Damascus on Wednesday, where he was received by Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syrian state media reported. The visit marks the first trip to Syria by an Iraqi prime minister since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. Syrian state television reported that Sharaa welcomed Zaidi and his accompanying delegation at Damascus International Airport. Sharaa and Zaidi also held talks last month in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In an interview aired on Tuesday by Iraqi television channel Dijlah, Sharaa welcomed Zaidi's visit, stating that “in the past year and a half, something positive has been built in Syrian Iraqi relations, particularly in economic matters.” Sharaa also said that some of the approximately 3,000 Syrian detainees transferred to Iraq had “no connection” to ISIS, adding that efforts were underway to classify the detainees, assess Syria’s responsibility and explore options for repatriating them.