Syria re-admitted to the Arab League after a 12-year hiatus + Syria, Iran to boost trade ties

Syria and Iran sign economic cooperation + trade agreements: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and his Syrian counterpart Bashar Assad inked several long-term agreements to boost economic ties between the two countries, according to a Syrian Foreign Affairs Ministry statement. The two presidents and high ranking officials signed the Comprehensive Programme of Strategic and Long-Term Cooperation, along with 14 other cooperation documents, according to a statementposted on Twitter by Iran’s foreign ministry. The agreements covered a wide range of sectors including agriculture, oil, transport, free zones, and communications, according to the Syrian ministry statement.

Iran is seeking a much-needed economic boost from its long-term ally: Iran has backed Assad’s government since the onset of the Syrian civil war in 2011, providing the country with fuel and credit lines worth bns of USDs, military advisors, and fighters, Reutersreports. Tehran now hopes to benefit from its long-standing support of Assad’s regime, with investments and economic opportunities to help boost its own struggling economy. Raisi’s visit marks the first visit by an Iranian president to Syria since 2010.

Arab foreign ministers agreed yesterday to re-admit Syria to the Arab League, following a minister-level meeting held at the league’s headquarters in Cairo, according to a communique (pdf). The decision ends a 12-year suspension of Syria’s membership in the league, which began when protests against President Bashar Al Assad turned violent in 2011.

A transport corridor connecting Turkmenistan with Iran, Iraq, and Turkey is in the pipeline for sometime “in the future,” Turkmenistan’s President, Serdar Berdimuhamedov announced at the International Transit and Transport Corridors: Interaction and Development 2023 conference, Mehr News Agencyreports.