After Syrian FM announces visiting Iraq, the first Iraqi response

Shafaq News/The Foreign Relations Committee in the Iraqi parliament denied on Wednesday any prior knowledge of an invitation extended to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Shibani to visit Iraq.

Committee member Mukhtar Al-Moussawi told Shafaq News Agency, "The committee was unaware of the invitation to Minister Al-Shibani until his public statement."

He warned that the visit, if it occurs, won’t be welcomed “if driven by pressure.”

Al-Moussawi further clarified, "However, if the visit serves Iraq's national interests, such as addressing the fate of the 10,000 missing Iraqis in the Al-Hol camp, including those detained in Syrian prisons with concerns over their potential misuse, it could be considered in a different light."

The visit, announced by the Syrian foreign minister at the World Government Summit in Dubai, would mark the first trip by the new Syrian government to Iraq since the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime.

A government source informed Shafaq News Agency on January 7 about the planned visit of the Syrian Foreign Minister from the interim government, Asaad Al-Shibani, to Iraq. The source stated that the visit would address several issues of mutual concern, though no specific details were provided.

Syria has seen a surge in diplomatic activity following the collapse of Al-Assad's regime, with a growing number of Arab and foreign delegations visiting Damascus and Syrian officials engaging in communications with their regional counterparts.