Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received an official invitation from Iraq on Sunday to participate in the upcoming Arab Summit, which will be hosted in Baghdad next month.
The official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that al-Sharaa received the invitation during his meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister’s special envoy, Minister of Culture, Ahmed Fakak al-Badrani.
This marks another important regional engagement for al-Shara, who previously attended the emergency Arab Summit on Gaza in Cairo on March 4, his first participation in an Arab League event since taking office.
Strengthening Syrian-Iraqi Ties
The invitation comes just two days after al-Shara received a letter from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, delivered by a delegation led by Hamid al-Shatri, head of Iraq’s National Intelligence Service. The letter confirmed Iraq’s official invitation for al-Shara to attend the Arab Summit in Baghdad scheduled for May 17.
Diplomatic exchanges between Syria and Iraq have intensified in recent months. Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Sheibani visited Baghdad in mid-March, and Prime Minister al-Sudani met with President al-Shara last week during a visit to Qatar.
Context
Al-Shara has emphasized Syria’s commitment to Arab unity in recent speeches, recently warning the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) that the country’s unity is a red line—a stance echoed in ongoing regional diplomacy efforts.
The Arab Summit in Baghdad is expected to focus on regional security, political cooperation, and economic reconstruction, with Syria’s full participation seen as a key symbol of its gradual reintegration into the broader Arab fold.
