The Syrian presidency announced Monday evening that President Ahmad Shar’a will not attend the upcoming Arab League summit scheduled to be held in Baghdad on Saturday. Instead, Foreign Minister Asaad Al-Sheibani will lead the Syrian delegation during the summit’s discussions.

In an official statement, the presidency confirmed: “President Ahmad Shar’a will not participate in the Arab summit set to take place in Baghdad,” adding that Al-Sheibani will represent Syria in all official talks and negotiations during the meeting.

Earlier on Monday, an Arab diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Shar’a had declined the formal invitation extended by the Iraqi government.

The invitation sparked criticism in recent weeks from prominent Iran-aligned Iraqi political figures and their supporters, who objected to Syria’s high-level representation at the summit amid ongoing regional tensions and divisions over Damascus’s reintegration into the Arab fold.