DAMASCUS: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi arrived in Damascus on Wednesday, making him the first head of state from an Islamic nation to visit the country since the civil conflict in Syria initially erupted 12 years ago.
At a time when more regional nations are re-engaging with the Syrian regime as it strives to rebuild after years of civil conflict, Raisi was scheduled to meet with his counterpart President Bashar al-Assad.
Tehran has supported Syria economically, politically, and militarily throughout the conflict, assisting Damascus in regaining lost ground and putting Iran in a prominent position as Assad attempts to concentrate on rebuilding.
The two-day trip takes place only a few weeks after Iran and Saudi Arabia reached a historic, Chinese-mediated deal to normalise relations, which spurred a frenzy of diplomatic activity in the Middle East.
Raisi and Assad will undertake “extensive political and economic discussions… followed by the finalisation of several agreements,” according to Syria’s state news agency SANA. Raisi will be accompanied by a sizable ministerial entourage.
The Iranian delegation consists of the ministries of telecommunications, highways and city development, oil, international affairs, defence, and the military.
An AFP journalist said that the concrete barricades in front of the Iranian embassy had been dismantled as part of the days-long preparations for Raisi’s arrival.
Both Tehran and Damascus remain under hefty Western sanctions.
Heavy security
In strategic areas of the Syrian capital, security personnel were strongly stationed. The route from the Damascus International Airport to the Sayyida Zeinab shrine, south of Damascus—a famed pilgrimage destination for Shiite Muslims that Raisi is intended to visit—was lined with Syrian and Iranian flags.
Along the airport road, billboards with images of the two presidents and the words “welcome” in Arabic and Farsi had been erected.
According to Ali Bahadori Jahromi, a spokesman for the Iranian government, “both countries are ready for the highest level of cooperation, and the purpose of this trip is economic,” he added that they may also “cooperate” throughout the restoration phase.
Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad travelled to Damascus in September 2010.
Since the war began, Assad has made two formal trips to Tehran, the most recent of which was in May 2022.
The visit “will open up another chapter in the close bond between the two countries,” according to analyst Osama Danura of Damascus.
He said, observing that Iran “has put itself forward firmly as a contributor to the reconstruction phase,” that it “could focus on long-term socioeconomic strategies.”
Deals expected
More than 500,000 people have died, millions have been homeless, and Syria’s infrastructure and economy have been completely destroyed by the conflict. Large areas of land continue to be ungoverned.
During Raisi’s visit, “a large number of accords and memorandums of understanding” would be signed, including ones on “energy and electricity,” according to Syria’s pro-government Al-Watan daily.
The newspaper further stated that there will be “discussions on a new Iranian credit line for Syria for investing in the power sector” in a nation where power outages may last up to 20 hours per day.
A “long-term strategic economic cooperation” pact was among the 11 agreements and memoranda of understanding that Syria and Iran signed in January 2019.
Raisi’s visit is “more appropriate” now that Saudi Arabia and Iran have reconciled, according to analyst Danura.
In addition to aiding in financing reconstruction, Assad hopes that full normalisation of relations with affluent Gulf monarchies and other Arab governments.
