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DUBAI: Turkish Foreign Minister said Syria is heading toward stability and developing constructive international relations on Wednesday. 

"Israel is working to stir chaos in Syria," he added.

WASHINGTON: The Iraqi Embassy in Washington reiterated on Wednesday Baghdad’s right to independently conclude agreements with any party asserting the country’s full sovereignty despite US criticism. 
The embassy said Iraq “has the right to enter into agreements in accordance with its constitution and national laws, in a manner consistent with its supreme interests,”according to Iraqi News Agency (INA).  
It emphasized that Iraq’s decisions are rooted in its “independent national will” and that the country “is not subordinate to the policies of any other state.”
The remarks come in the wake of a new security pact signed between Iraq and Iran in Baghdad earlier this week, aimed at tightening coordination along their shared border.
However, US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce commented on the memorandum, saying: “We support genuine Iraqi sovereignty, not legislation that would turn Iraq into a client state of Iran.”
The agreement, reached during the visit of Iranian top security official Ali Larijani, builds on a March 2023 deal to enhance security in Iraq’s Kurdish region, which Tehran accuses of harboring armed opposition groups.
Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, who oversaw the signing, framed the pact as part of broader cooperation to secure both countries’ frontiers and promote regional stability. 
Iraqi officials say the measures are intended to curb cross-border infiltration by Iranian Kurdish groups accused by Tehran of fomenting unrest.
The timing of the agreement underscores the complex balancing act facing Baghdad. While deepening ties with Tehran, the Iraqi government is also under intensifying US pressure to rein in pro-Iran militias.