Relations between the two countries have faced upheaval since the fall of Assad, who was a close ally of previous governments in Baghdad.

During the visit, Hussein met with his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, according to Syrian state media.

A joint statement issued by both sides said Hussein and Shaibani discussed "ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries and develop joint cooperation in various fields".

The two sides also agreed to establish a joint committee overseeing energy, agriculture, water, transport and border crossings.

They also discussed "mechanisms for the transit of energy supplies and a project to rehabilitate the oil pipeline linking Iraq and Syria", according to the statement.

Iraq at first approached new ruler Ahmed al-Sharaa cautiously but is now seeking to bolster trade and security cooperation with Syria, which is emerging from years of civil war.

An Iraqi diplomatic source earlier told AFP that Hussein would meet Sharaa and Shaibani, as well as Energy Minister Mohammad al-Bashir.

A statement from Hussein's office meanwhile said the visit seeks to "deepen joint cooperation in various political, security, economic and trade fields" and address regional and international developments.

With its oil exports disrupted due to the Middle East war, Iraq in recent months has begun exporting limited amounts of oil through Syria.

Hussein is the first senior Iraqi political figure to visit Damascus since the new authorities took power, though other Iraqi officials have done so.

Iraqi intelligence chief Hamid al-Shatri visited the month Assad was ousted, while Syria's Shaibani made his first trip to Baghdad in March last year.

In May 2025, several powerful Iraqi politicians voiced opposition to a planned visit by Sharaa to Iraq for an Arab League summit, with security sources telling AFP an old arrest warrant from his time as a member of Al-Qaeda remained in place.

Shaibani attended instead.

Sharaa, whose Islamist group spearheaded the offensive that toppled Assad, was imprisoned for years in Iraq on charges of belonging to Al-Qaeda following the 2003 US-led invasion.

In February this year, the United States completed the transfer of 5,700 Islamic State group detainees, including hundreds of foreigners, from Syria to Iraq, after they had been held in Kurdish-run jails in northeast Syria for years.

In April, Iraq reopened a once-bustling border crossing with Syria more than a decade after it was closed to trade following the rise of IS.

Three crossings between the countries are now operational.

Iraqi authorities view the new crossing as strategic as it also helps link the country and neighbouring Gulf states to Turkey as part of a regional infrastructure development project.