Syria's president has held talks with Iraq's president and the president of Iraqi Kurdistan on the sidelines of the COP31 climate summit in Antalya, Turkey, as Damascus builds ties with its neighbours.

Iraqi President Nizar Amidi met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday at the summit, Iraqi News reported. A day earlier, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani met al-Sharaa, also on the sidelines of the conference, the Kurdistan Region Presidency said.

Barzani and al-Sharaa discussed Syria's relations with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region and ways to strengthen cooperation, and both sides stressed dialogue and peaceful, diplomatic approaches to resolving regional challenges. They also discussed the situation of the Kurds in Syria, with Barzani highlighting the importance of safeguarding Kurdish rights and enshrining them in Syria's constitution. Barzani said he hoped al-Sharaa would visit Baghdad and Erbil in the near future.

Sharaa's first climate summit

Al-Sharaa arrived in Antalya on Wednesday for the 31st session of the UN climate conference, COP31, Syria's official news agency confirmed. The leaders' summit runs over two days, with the wider conference continuing until November 20. It is the first time Turkey has hosted the UN climate talks, and leaders from more than 100 countries are attending.

Amidi arrived in Antalya on Tuesday leading an Iraqi delegation that includes the water resources and environment ministers. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan greeted al-Sharaa on arrival, and Mauritania's president also met the Syrian leader on the sidelines on Wednesday.

The meetings underline how Syria's leadership is using the summit to build regional ties, with Iraq and the Kurdish region both keen to keep channels open with Damascus.

Sources: Iraqi News, Kurdistan Region Presidency