Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia' al-Sudani reaffirmed Friday his country's respect for the will of the neighboring Syrian people and expressed a commitment to supporting a comprehensive political process in Syria.
"The Iraqi government respects the will of the Syrian people and looks forward to a comprehensive political process," Sudani said in a statement, according to the Iraqi News Agency INA.
"Any instability in Syria's prisons will lead us to confront terrorism," he added, stressing the need for both nations to work together on security matters.
The prime minister also confirmed that Iraq had shared its view of the current situation to Syria's interim administration, underscoring the importance of cooperation to secure the shared border.
"We are keen to coordinate with Syria to maintain border security," he noted.
On the movements of high-ranking officials of the toppled Syrian regime, Sudani said Maher Assad, a general and younger brother of former President Bashar Assad, had not entered Iraq.
He further stated that the ousted government had not requested any military intervention from Iraq during an offensive by anti-regime forces earlier this month.
Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia after anti-regime groups took control of Damascus on Dec. 8, ending the Baath Party's regime, which had been in power since 1963.
The takeover came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters captured key cities in a lightning offensive that lasted less than two weeks.
