Iran president Ebrahim Raisi heads to Syria for first trip since war, eyes rebuild

Damascus, Syria: As regional cooperation between the two allies grows, Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi will make his maiden trip to Damascus as president on Wednesday. This will be the first visit by an Iranian leader since the start of the civil war in Syria. Tehran has supported Syria economically, politically, and militarily during the 12-year conflict, assisting Damascus in regaining lost ground and putting Iran in a prominent position as President Bashar al-Assad attempts to concentrate on reconstruction. The visit takes place amid a bustle of diplomacy in the Middle East as regional relations with Iran and Syria shift, only weeks after Iran reached a historic accord to reestablish ties with regional adversary Saudi Arabia. Raisi and Assad would discuss “bilateral ties, shared economic and political issues, and positive developments in the region,” AFP quoted Syria’s state news agency SANA as saying. Preparations for Raisi’s visit have been underway for days in the Damascus district housing Iran’s embassy, with concrete barriers in front of the mission removed. Iran’s president would lead a senior “economic-political delegation” for his two-day trip at Assad’s invitation, Iranian state media reported. The last Iranian president to visit Damascus was Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in September 2010, while Assad has officially visited Tehran twice since the war broke out, the last time in May 2022. Damascus-based analyst Osama Danura said the visit “will open a new page in the close relationship between the two countries”. It “could focus on long-term economic strategies”, he added, noting Iran “has put itself forward strongly as a contributor to the reconstruction phase”. Deals expected Syria’s war has claimed more than 500,000 lives, displaced millions and ravaged the country’s infrastructure and industry. Swathes of territory remain outside government control. “A large number of agreements and memoranda of understanding” will be signed during Raisi’s visit, including on “energy and electricity”, Syria’s pro-government Al-Watan newspaper reported. There would also be “discussions on a new Iranian credit line for Syria for investment in the power sector,” the daily added, in a country where blackouts can last around 20 hours a day. In January 2019, Syria and Iran signed 11 agreements and memoranda of understanding, including a “long-term strategic economic cooperation” deal. Both Tehran and Damascus remain under heavy Western sanctions. The regional atmosphere following the Saudi-Iran rapprochement has made Raisi’s visit “more appropriate”, analyst Danura said. Assad is hoping full normalisation of ties with wealthy Gulf monarchies and other Arab states will also help finance reconstruction. In April, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan made the first visit to Damascus by a Saudi official since the start of the war. On the ground, Iran-backed groups including Lebanon’s Hezbollah continue to bolster Assad’s forces, while Iran says it only deploys military advisers in Syria. “Fighting terrorism is one of the successful examples of cooperation between the two countries,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said this week. “We were with the Syrian nation during the difficult years caused by the organised attacks of multinational terrorists… and we will be with the Syrian nation during the construction period,” he added. Damascus considers all those who oppose it as “terrorists”. Analyst Danura said he also expected Syria-Turkey relations to be discussed. Tehran has been part of four-way talks with Damascus, Moscow and Ankara seeking to repair Syria-Turkey ties, which were severed at the start of the conflict. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.