ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has officially invited his Syrian counterpart Asaad al-Shaibani to visit Baghdad next week.

Speaking to Iraqi state media, Hussein said that he had extended an official invitation to Shaibani to visit Baghdad next week.

This comes both diplomats are currently attending the Munich Security Conference, where leaders and diplomats from across the globe are present.

Shaibani was reportedly set to visit the Iraqi capital in early January but the trip was postponed indefinitely. The visit will be the first visit of a Syrian official to Iraq since the fall of the Assad regime late last year.

A rebel offensive in early December of last year spearheaded by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), saw the ouster of Bashar al-Assad, ending the Assad’s five decade long rule and shifting the political scene in Syria and the Middle East.

A new interim government was formed in late January that resulted in former HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa being declared president to oversee the affairs of the transitional government.

Despite an influx of congratulatory messages to the new interim president from many regional powers, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, The Iraqi government, closely aligned with Iran, supported Assad’s regime, and has remained hesitant in taking an official stance regarding Sharaa’s appointment for the role.

However, speaking at a conference on Syria in Paris on Thursday, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said that Iraq will invite Sharaa to attend the Arab Summit in Baghdad.

Speaking at the World Governments Summit in Dubai on Wednesday, Shaibani said that he has received an official invitation from Iraq and will visit Baghdad “soon”.