Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has sent a message to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa calling for stronger ties and closer security and economic coordination.
The move reflects Baghdad’s push to rebuild regional relations while, at home, working to bring weapons under state control and prepare for a planned visit to the United States.
The message was delivered by Hamid al-Shatri, head of Iraq’s National Intelligence Service.
The Iraqi prime minister’s media office said late Wednesday that Zaidi’s message stressed the need to develop relations between Baghdad and Damascus and step up coordination to confront regional challenges and crises, particularly in security and economic affairs, in line with the two countries’ shared interests.
The statement said Sharaa thanked Zaidi and the Iraqi government, and affirmed Syria’s commitment to working with Iraq to address common challenges arising from recent regional developments.
He also stressed the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation, especially on security and the economy.
The message comes as Iraq seeks to repair ties with its Arab neighbors under a broader approach built around three tracks: asserting state authority by “confining weapons to the hands of the state,” expanding regional outreach, and diversifying the economy by drawing foreign investment.
Zaidi to Washington
Baghdad has yet to set a date for Zaidi’s visit to the United States, which follows an invitation from US President Donald Trump. Iraqi officials say the visit is tied to a set of files the government has begun pursuing under fixed timelines, led by the effort to bring weapons under state control.
Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi told a news conference that the deadline for carrying out the weapons-control plan expires next September, coinciding with the scheduled withdrawal of international coalition forces from Iraq.
The timing is significant. It would complete arrangements agreed by the previous government, including ending the mission of the coalition formed to fight ISIS, moving Baghdad’s relationship with Washington into a bilateral framework based on the 2009 Strategic Framework Agreement, and ending the work of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq, known as UNAMI.
The Iraqi government hopes to make tangible progress on the weapons file before the Washington visit. But positions taken by some Iran-backed armed factions have added pressure.
Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat al-Nujaba, two of Iraq’s most prominent armed factions, have issued statements that raised questions over the future of the government’s weapons-control measures.
The Shiite Coordination Framework had granted the prime minister a mandate over the mechanisms and procedures for confining weapons to the state. The move was seen as a withdrawal of the political cover long enjoyed by some armed factions, potentially putting them on a direct collision course with the government.
At the same time, influential forces within the Coordination Framework, which holds about 80 parliamentary seats, are seeking to expand their presence in government and secure ministerial posts after earlier US reservations about their participation eased.
The government says its handling of these files is based on a “national vision” backed by parliament. Aboudi said the government remains fully committed to confining weapons to the state according to the timelines set in its program.
Regional outreach for development
On the economic front, Baghdad is betting on major investment projects to reinforce long-term stability.
Aboudi said the “Development Fund” is an investment vehicle separate from the state budget, funded by international contributions from friendly countries, with guarantees ranging from $100 billion to $150 billion, to support development and sustainable stability.
Observers say the three files, security, regional outreach, and economic development, form the broad framework for Iraq’s current domestic and foreign moves.
Political science professor Talib Mohammed Karim told Asharq Al-Awsat that Zaidi’s expected visit to Washington cannot be separated from the changes underway in Iraq and the wider region.
He said Baghdad is working on three parallel tracks: strengthening state authority by confining weapons to the state, opening up regionally, including through improved ties with Syria, and diversifying the economy by reducing dependence on oil and attracting investment.
Karim said the visit matters because of its timing, as the balance of power in the Middle East is being reshaped after years of conflict. Iraq, he said, has a chance to move from being shaped by regional developments to helping shape stability, drawing on its geography and balanced relations with different sides.
Relations with Washington
Former prime minister Adil Abdul Mahdi also called for stronger Iraqi-US ties while preserving the agreements signed between the two countries.
Abdul Mahdi said he hoped Zaidi would succeed in his mission, adding that it was too early to judge the current government, which remains at the start of its four-year term.
He said Iraq needs friendly relations with the US and other countries while honoring existing agreements between Baghdad and Washington. He said the end of next September would mark a decisive point with the completion of the international coalition’s withdrawal from Iraqi territory.
Abdul Mahdi said stronger political and economic ties between Iraq and the US would serve mutual interests, citing the importance of Washington’s international role and Baghdad’s regional standing, as well as the shared benefits that closer relations could bring.
