Iraq, Syria forge closer ties to confront shared challenges

Iraq, which played a significant role in Syria's return to its seat in the Arab League after over a decade of isolation, received Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad during an official visit.

During his visit, Mekdad met with Iraqi officials, discussing bilateral relations between Baghdad and Damascus, combating terrorism, and reducing drug trafficking.

With both countries sharing a border stretching 600 kilometers, primarily through desert regions, securing the border has become a critical issue, particularly concerning the activities of the Islamic State (ISIS) and drug smuggling.

Despite the wars fought against the terrorist organization, ISIS remains active in both countries, albeit to a lesser extent.

However, according to estimates published in a report by the United Nations Security Council last February, ISIS has between five to seven thousand members spread between Iraq and Syria, with approximately half being fighters.

Additionally, in the case of the Captagon drug, Iraqi authorities have repeatedly seized quantities of it on the border with Syria, as its trade has significantly increased in the Middle East in recent years.

Moreover, both countries face other shared issues, such as water resources. Iraq and Syria share the Euphrates and Tigris rivers flow, which originate from Turkey and pass through Syria. Both Iraqi and Syrian authorities have expressed concerns about Turkey's construction of dams, which lead to a decrease in water levels for its neighbors.