Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi in Damascus on Tuesday, opening the door to a new partnership between the two neighbours in the first visit by an Iraqi prime minister since the fall of the Assad regime.

Informed sources in Damascus described the trip as a "fundamental turning point" in relations between Syria and Iraq. The available indications, they said, point to Damascus and Baghdad moving towards a strategic partnership serving both countries' economic and security interests.

Beyond the political talks, al-Zaidi used the visit to signal sectarian rapprochement. He toured the Umayyad Mosque and the shrine of Sayyida Zainab.

The Iraqi premier also pledged a donation of $10 million from his "personal account" to cover the needs of religious teachers, with the sum to be divided equally.

According to the sources in Damascus, the visit carries particular weight as the first stop in the Syrian capital by an Iraqi head of government since Assad was toppled. It also comes amid signs that the two countries are working towards a strategic relationship spanning both economic and security cooperation.