Relations between Iraq and the Government of Damascus have improved markedly in recent times, after several stages in four decades, and have reached the point of hostility and disregard during the reign of previous governments in Iraq, both before and after the US invasion of Iraq.
Iraq played a role in the return of Syria to the League of Arab States, through the gate of the Arab Parliament. The President of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, Mohammed Halbusi, previously called last February for Syria to attend the upcoming Arab summits.
After Syria's return to the League of Arab States and Bashar al-Assad's attendance at the Jeddah summit, Faisal al-Miqdad visited the Iraqi capital of Baghdad and, together with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, on Sunday, June 4, discussed ways to deepen relations between the two countries and to enhance them in the interests of the two brothers.
Iraqi role
Iraqi political researcher Riyad al-Wahili considered that Iraq had a pivotal role in Syria's return to the Arab League as having a position in the region. Any stability therein is stability for the region, noting that: "The Syrian Government recognizes the role played by Iraq at the last stage."
In my view, Iraq "pursues a policy of stability in the region and has therefore played a role in the restoration of Saudi-Iranian relations". He noted that it was natural that Syrian-Iraqi relations would improve and thereby have access to economic and investment relations. It will have a positive reflection on the two countries, especially in accordance with international equations and variables and the repercussions of the Russian-Ukrainian war. "
"The region is now moving towards improving relations between the countries of the region, taking advantage of the new poles and the energy and cargo transport axis, Iran, Iraq and Syria are part of this policy in the region," al-Wahili explained.
The intensity of hostility
In his turn, political history researcher Jawad al-Baydani, speaking about the stages of the relationship between Syria and Iraq, said: "Relations between the two parties went through extreme stages of hostility, after which stages of détente began during the occupation of Iraq 2003", adding that: "There is traditional hostility between the two countries. Syrian intelligence systems were operating in Iraq and Iraqi intelligence systems were operating in Syria; liquidation of opposition activists in both countries.”
The then Damascus government, according to the political history researcher, was: "It exploits the Iraqi opposition in the liquidation of the Muslim Brotherhood backed by Saddam Hussein's regime, as well as had wings of the Baathis. (Left of Baath) in Iraq, as well as in Iraq, which used Syrian opposition tools from the Muslim Brotherhood to liquidate its opponents in Syria, from the PUK, the Da 'wa Party, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Iraqi Communist Party, because Syria was home to the Iraqi opposition. "
In al-Baydani s’ view, the important point is that: "After 2003, Syria began to oppose the young regime in Iraq, which he considered to be an agent of the Americans. It began to militarize with Iran by introducing explosive devices IEDs as well as liquidation, assassinations and training opposition wings to sow chaos and instability in Iraq."
Challenges paved the way for convergence
Jawad al-Baydani continued: "We live in a very critical area, so it is the challenges that have faced both States throughout their history that have paved the way for the strengthening and development of relations."
The political history researcher noted that Syria: "found itself after the revolution of the Syrian people, it is as stalemate as Iraq as a result of the Turkish, American and Western agenda, its role in creating chaos within Iraq and Syria which is known as ISIS, and evidence that oil smuggling runs Syria's route through Mosul and Salahuddin into Turkey the Syrian regime and the Iraqi Government found themselves in one challenge: Turkish ambitions, At the same time, countries have been subjected to stifling Arab isolation and blockade. "
The proximity of Baghdad and Damascus to Arabs is to keep them out of Tehran
According to Jawad al-Baydani, "the rapprochement operations initiated and tolerated by the United States, which recognized that considerable pressure on the Iraqi Government would generate the explosion, thus giving way to this rapprochement by strengthening Iraq's relations with the Syrian side, as well as the Iraqi Government succeeded in taking the permission of limited trade with Syria and Iran."
Social convergence
The political history researcher adds that the challenges faced by the two Governments and social convergence have played a significant role in bringing the two sides closer together. tape along the Syrian-Iraqi border resides on both sides of the same Arab and Kurdish tribes. Social evidence prepared for this thing, and the other point is ISIS mercenaries. The coordination process has led the Iraqi Government, in coordination with the Syrian Government and the Syrian Democratic Forces, to address the border crises, the ISIS movement and its activities in this area.
He pointed out that the United States, in its turn, was satisfied with Iraq's Syrian proximity, in order to keep it away from Iran as far as possible.
T/ Satt.
ANHA
