Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa discussed on Wednesday the development of economic and security cooperation, particularly the export of Iraqi oil through Baniyas with a capacity up to two million barrels per day.

The discussions took place during the first visit by an Iraqi prime minister to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in late 2024. The visit marks a step toward strengthening relations between the two countries, which share a border stretching over 600 kilometers.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement that the meeting addressed increasing trade exchange and developing the agricultural sector to achieve food and economic integration, in addition to discussing oil exports via Syria’s Baniyas port.

However, the statement did not mention when the route will start operating at the specified capacity.

Al-Zaidi highlighted initiatives to develop partnerships in the social and economic domains, boost security cooperation, and coordinate stances on regional and global concerns.

The Syrian Presidency said that the extended discussions in Damascus covered approaches to promote security, economic, and commercial cooperation, as well as regional and international developments.

Iraq started earlier exporting limited quantities of oil through the Syrian port of Baniyas—a move prompted by disruptions of maritime shipping in the Strait of Hormuz amid the conflict in the Middle East.

In July, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to revive the Haditha–Baniyas pipeline. A deal was signed with a consortium of three companies, including US-based Chevron, to carry out the project.

The pipeline was built in 1952, but it was abandoned in 2003 due to damage sustained during the invasion of Iraq by the United States. Its reactivation would provide an outlet for Iraqi oil exports via the Mediterranean Sea.