Iraq and Syria Negotiate Oil Pipelines and Detainee Returns

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi visited Damascus on October 28 for the first official visit by an Iraqi premier since the fall of the Bashar Assad regime in December 2024. He met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to strengthen bilateral ties, focusing on economic integration and regional security following a preliminary meeting at the UN General Assembly in September.

A primary objective of the summit is establishing alternative trade routes for Iraqi oil after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz during a US-led war on Iran. The two nations signed agreements to rehabilitate the Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline and are collaborating with a consortium, including Chevron Corporation, to develop a new two-million-barrel-per-day line linking Iraq's Grand Faw Port to the Mediterranean. The Syrian Petroleum Company reported that Iraq currently moves approximately 500,000 tonnes of fuel oil per month by lorry across Syria.

Security discussions focused on border stability and the status of 5,704 ISIS detainees held in Iraq, some of whom were transferred by the United States in February. President al-Sharaa asserted the border is fully secure and discussed the potential repatriation of 3,000 Syrian nationals. He emphasized that Syria must bear responsibility for detainees who have no connection to Daesh, stating that relations between states should not be subject to personal whims.