ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The president of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) met with Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus on Thursday to discuss strengthening legal and judicial cooperation between the two countries, following earlier talks between delegations from both sides over the dossier of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees.
"During the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance Iraqi-Syrian cooperation in the judicial and legal fields, in a manner that contributes to developing cooperation mechanisms between the judicial institutions of the two countries," stated Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC).
The meeting between Sharaa and SJC President Faiq Zaidan followed talks between delegations from the two countries over the file of ISIS detainees transferred to Iraq from detention centers in northeast Syria (Rojava) earlier this year.
Under Syria's transitional constitution, the president also serves as head of the country's Supreme Judicial Council.
“During the meeting, they discussed ways to enhance cooperation between the two brotherly countries in the judicial and legal fields, in addition to discussing several issues of mutual interest,” the Syrian presidency posted on X.
Iraq and Syria have been rebuilding ties since the fall of longtime Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, whose government was toppled by forces led by Sharaa in late 2024. Assad enjoyed strong relations with Baghdad.
The growing cooperation has also extended to the energy sector. Iraq has moved to use neighboring Syria as an alternative route for its oil exports following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the war. Before the conflict, Iraq exported most of its crude through the strategic waterway.
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