"Cross-Border Cooperation: Iraqi PM Sudani and Syria's Assad Discuss Security and Water in Damascus"

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani visited Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to discuss securing their shared border, combating drug smuggling, and addressing drought conditions caused by reduced rainfall and upstream damming by Turkey. They also discussed lifting sanctions on Syria and the possibility of reopening a Mediterranean oil export pipeline. The visit comes as other countries, including Saudi Arabia, rebuild relations with Damascus, and Syria seeks dialogue to end drug smuggling and repatriate refugees.