Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Mualem arrived in Baghdad on a surprise visit on Sunday, an official television reported.

Mualem is expected to meet with Iraqi leaders to discuss bilateral ties and the latest development in the region, the state- run Iraqia channel said.

Iraq's Shiite-dominated government has maintained close ties with Syria, whose President Bashar al-Assad is a member of Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shiite Islam.