Iraq's Zaidi meets Sharaa on first Syria visit: What to know

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi made his first visit to Syria on Wednesday, meeting Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and pledging to boost energy and security ties.

What happened: Sharaa received Zaidi at the Damascus International Airport before the talks at the People’s Palace in the Syrian capital. The two leaders discussed ways to boost security, economic and trade cooperation as well as regional developments. They particularly focused on increasing trade, encouraging investment and related opportunities, Syria’s official SANA news outlet reported. 

Zaidi’s office said plans to export oil through the Baniyas pipeline, with a capacity of 2 million barrels per day, and cooperation on food and agriculture were also discussed.

The Kirkuk-Baniyas pipeline, which runs from Kirkuk in northern Iraq to Syria’s Mediterranean port of Baniyas, is currently dormant.