Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi conveyed greetings and best wishes to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said during talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
"Let me take this opportunity to convey to you and the entire Russian leadership greetings and best wishes from the President of Iraq, Prime Minister and Head of the Chamber of Deputies. I was contacted by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kazimi on the eve of this meeting, which we are currently holding. He asked me to convey his greetings to Russian President Vladimir Putin and referred to the productive telephone conversation they had recently had," he said.
The Iraqi Foreign Minister expressed hope that the phone conversation would "move into a real live visit phase as the situation with the coronavirus pandemic normalizes".
He also noted the Iraqi side's emphasis on the upcoming ninth meeting of the bilateral interagency commission. He recalled that the last such meeting was held in Baghdad and expressed hope that the next one would be held in Moscow.
Iraq hopes to sign 14 documents with Russia in 2021, including in the energy sector
Iraq hopes to sign 14 bilateral documents with Russia in 2021 that cover various areas of cooperation, including oil and gas, healthcare and trade, Hussein said.
"We now have a total of 14 bilateral documents under consideration, including a memorandum of understanding. We are ready to intensify work on them in order to approach the meeting of the bilateral intergovernmental commission, which we plan to hold next year, for their signing. These documents cover different spheres: education, transport, healthcare, oil and gas industry, trade. We will conduct business in order to come to their signing next year," he said.
Fuad Hussein said at the meeting they discussed security challenges within Iraq and at the regional level and ways to counter them. The meeting also focused on the situation in Syria and ways to promote security and normalize life in the Arab republic. "As for the topic of Middle East settlement, the Russian side sounded constructive ideas about the ways of settlement. For our part, we will stick to them and in some time will continue discussing this topic," he added.
The Iraqi diplomat also expressed gratitude to the Russian leadership for active cooperation in the field of counterterrorism. "I confirm our willingness to cooperate with Russia in various international forums, which would meet the interests of our countries and common interests," he concluded.
Cooperation in the fight against terrorism
Baghdad expects to advance its cooperation with Moscow in the fight against terrorism, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said.
"Security and counterterrorism cooperation with other countries, particularly Russian-Iraqi cooperation, is ongoing, especially as terrorist cells, including the Islamic State Cell (ISIS, banned in Russia), remain present on Iraqi and Syrian territory. Such cooperation is ongoing and we are ready for its further promotion," he said.
"Because terrorism is ultimately a threat to all countries, including Russia," Fuad Hussein added.
ISIS militants occupied about one-third of Iraqi territory in the summer of 2014. In June of that same year, they seized the country's second-largest city, Mosul, and declared it the capital of the so-called caliphate. In 2015, with the support of an international coalition, Iraqi government forces launched a large-scale campaign to liberate the areas seized by extremists. After the defeat of the group in Iraq, announced by the authorities in December 2017, the security situation in the country has noticeably improved, and attacks, including terrorist attacks and other raids, have fallen.
Meanwhile, security agencies are still conducting operations in different parts of the country to destroy the terrorist underground, whose militants are still attacking law enforcement, the army and civilians.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Press Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry / TASS
Based on materials from TASS