Middle East
Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani (left). Photo: SANA. Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein (right). Photo: Iraqi foreign ministry
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi and Syrian foreign ministers on Monday discussed issues of common interest in a phone call, particularly the recent movement of Islamic State (ISIS) cells on the border strip following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and agreed to confront such issues.
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein called his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani to congratulate him on his role and confirm Baghdad’s intention to return all members of the Iraqi diplomatic mission to Damascus, Iraq’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
During the meeting, Hussein “addressed the recent movements of ISIS elements on the shared border, stressing the importance of enhancing cooperation and coordination to confront these threats,” and Shaibani responded by affirming Syria’s “readiness to fully coordinate with Iraq to confront these groups.”
ISIS has attempted to exploit the security vacuum created by Assad’s fall to gain control of territory, particularly in the desert regions near the Iraqi border which the former regime used to loosely control.
A coalition of rebels spearheaded by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) spearheaded a blistering offensive against Assad’s regime late last month, toppling the regime on December 8 and ending over five decades of Baathist rule.
The diplomats also discussed the progress made by the recent visit of Iraqi intelligence chief Hamid al-Shatri to Damascus, where he met with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein called his Syrian counterpart Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani to congratulate him on his role and confirm Baghdad’s intention to return all members of the Iraqi diplomatic mission to Damascus, Iraq’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
During the meeting, Hussein “addressed the recent movements of ISIS elements on the shared border, stressing the importance of enhancing cooperation and coordination to confront these threats,” and Shaibani responded by affirming Syria’s “readiness to fully coordinate with Iraq to confront these groups.”
ISIS has attempted to exploit the security vacuum created by Assad’s fall to gain control of territory, particularly in the desert regions near the Iraqi border which the former regime used to loosely control.
A coalition of rebels spearheaded by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) spearheaded a blistering offensive against Assad’s regime late last month, toppling the regime on December 8 and ending over five decades of Baathist rule.
The diplomats also discussed the progress made by the recent visit of Iraqi intelligence chief Hamid al-Shatri to Damascus, where he met with Syria’s de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Jolani.
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