Syria: Iraqi Kurdish regional leader meets Syrian president on 1st visit to Damascus.

SHOTLIST: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (AUG. 3, 2026) 1. SYRIAN DIPLOMATS WALKING 2. SYRIAN PRESIDENT AHMAD AL-SHARAA AND PRESIDENT OF IRAQI KURDISH REGIONAL GOVERNMENT (IKRG) IN IRAQ, NECHIRVAN BARZANI WALKING TOGETHER / LEADERS SHAKING HANDS AND POSING FOR PHOTO / BARZANI SHAKING HANDS WITH DIPLOMATS DAMASCUS, SYRIA - AUG. 3: The president of Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Nechirvan Barzani, met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Damascus on Monday during his first visit to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. The Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said Sharaa received Barzani at the People's Palace in the Syrian capital. The agency did not immediately disclose details of the meeting. The visit marks the first by the KRG leader to Syria since Assad's regime collapsed in December 2024. Barzani and Sharaa first met on April 11, 2025, on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Türkiye. They met again on April 17, 2026, during the fifth edition of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.