Syria's Sharaa skips Iraq summit after firestorm over invitation

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Posted by NewAdmin on 2025-05-13 09:23:41 |

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The Syrian politician didn't show up to the Baghdad meeting, which also sought to normalise relations between Syria and Arab countries. The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had said prior to the summit that it would 'pave the way for restoring relations' between Iraq and Syria, both sandwiched between powerful Iran and Turkey. But Syria was not invited to the Arab League summit earlier this month after it was readmitted to the Arab League in late 2021.

Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad had said last week that his government would use the summit to emphasise its vision for a solution to the Syrian crisis. Instead, according to a diplomat, Mr Sharaa, a key player in the Syrian regime, refused to attend the event, with another diplomat saying that the firestorm took diplomats by surprise. The Arab invitees included Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II. The summit, dubbed 'Iraq is the land of Civilisations' also sought to boost Iraqi-Arab relations, which have been criticised for failing to adequately address the conflict and displacement in Syria and Iraq. It also comes after a years-long effort to get the Iraqi government to normalise ties with Syria, which officially started in 2019.

The efforts picked up steam after the US withdrawal from Syria, with Iran pushing for closer ties. Over half a million civilians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more displaced, in Syria's ongoing civil war, according to aid groups. Syria's Sharaa skips Iraq summit after firestorm over invitation. The Syrian politician didn't show up to the Baghdad meeting, which also sought to normalise relations between Syria and Arab countries.

The Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had said before the summit that it would 'pave the way for restoring relations' between Iraq and Syria, both sandwiched between powerful Iran and Turkey. Syria was not invited to the Arab League summit earlier this month after it was readmitted to the Arab League in late 2021.

Syria's Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad had said last week that his government would use the summit to emphasise its vision for a solution to the Syrian crisis. Instead, according to a diplomat, Mr Sharaa, a key player in the Syrian regime, refused to attend the event, with another diplomat saying that the firestorm took diplomats by surprise.

The Arab invitees included Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II. The summit, dubbed 'Iraq is the land of Civilisations', also sought to boost Iraqi-Arab relations, which have been criticised for failing to address the conflict and displacement in Syria and Iraq. It also comes after a years-long effort to get the Iraqi government to normalise ties with Syria, which officially started in 2019.

Over half a million civilians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more displaced, in Syria's ongoing civil war, according to aid groups. The summit was meant to boost relations between Iraq and Arab countries, but the surprise non-appearance of Syria points to lingering tensions between neighbouring countries. With Syria refusing to attend, it remains to be seen what the future holds for Iraq's efforts to normalise ties with all Arab countries.

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