Iraq restored diplomatic relations with neighbouring Syria on Tuesday after nearly a quarter-century of severed ties, a government spokesman said.

The announcement came during a groundbreaking visit to Baghdad by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, the first to Iraq by a senior Syrian official since the 2003 fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Syria's visiting Foreign Minister Walid Moallem, left, and Iraq's Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshyar Zebari, arrive for a media conference in Baghdad on Tuesday.
(Ali Haider/Associated Press)

Damascus broke diplomatic ties with Iraq in 1982, accusing it of inciting riots in Syria.

The Iraqi and Syrian presidents also received invitations from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to a weekend summit in Tehran to tackle the chaos in Iraq, Iraqi lawmakers said.

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's spokesman said his boss would attend but that Syrian President Bashar Assad would not. The invitation was thought to be an attempt by Iran to counter U.S. influence in the region.