ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani met with Tom Barrack, the US Special Envoy for Syria, in Baghdad on Sunday to discuss Iraq’s role in supporting Syria’s security and recovery, while reinforcing its own stability and prosperity, the premier’s office reported.
The prime minister’s office said the two diplomats “discussed practical ways through which Iraq can continue to support the stability, security, prosperity and economic recovery of Syria, while simultaneously enhancing Iraq’s own stability and prosperity.”
The meeting also “reviewed mutual perspectives on preventing any further escalation in the region, supporting the diplomatic path to resolving disputes, and putting the region on a path of cooperation, economic growth, and long-term stability.”
For his part, the US envoy was quoted as emphasizing “the constructive and essential role Iraq can play in achieving these shared goals.”
Barrack’s rare visit to Baghdad follows remarks by Mark Savaya, US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy to Iraq, who told Rudaw on Saturday that “big changes are coming to Iraq,” without specifying what they would be, adding that “everyone will see actions instead of words.”
Savaya, a Chaldean entrepreneur of Iraqi descent, also said in a post on X earlier on Saturday that “the world views Iraq as a country capable of playing a larger and more influential role in the region, provided that the issue of weapons outside state control is fully resolved and the prestige of official institutions is protected.”
Earlier this month, Savaya affirmed he would be “visiting Iraq soon and meeting with the key leaders,” adding, “We are carefully watching the process of forming the new government.”
“The United States will not accept or permit any outside interference in shaping the new Iraqi government,” he stressed.
Iraq held its early legislative elections on November 9, followed by the general vote two days later. The Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) last week announced the final results, with the Sudani-led Reconstruction and Development Coalition (RDC) emerging as frontrunner with 46 seats in the 329-member parliament.
Since then, negotiations have been underway between political parties over forming the next cabinet. While Prime Minister Sudani has repeatedly expressed his keenness to secure another term, he faces strong foes from within the ruling Shiite Coordination Framework that backed his first premiership.
Last updated at 11:40 pm
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