(Baghdad) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Iraq on Sunday evening to meet Iraqi leaders and discuss energy and food security in particular in the light of the conflict in Ukraine, said the spokesman for Iraqi diplomacy.
Mr. Lavrov landed in Baghdad on Sunday evening, at the head of a large delegation including representatives “of oil and gas companies and investors”, Iraqi diplomacy spokesman Ahmed al-Iraq told AFP. Sahhaf.
He will meet his Iraqi counterpart Fouad Hussein on Monday morning, said Sahhaf, quoted by the state news agency INA. He will meet with Prime Minister Mohamed Chia al-Soudani, President Abdel Latif Rachid, and Speaker of Parliament Mohamed al-Halboussi.
The visit “confirms Iraq’s openness to all its partners and friends”, said Mr. Sahhaf, stressing the importance “of attracting investments […] particularly in energy”, according to INA.
The Russian minister and his Iraqi counterpart “will also discuss transformations related to the security and stability of the region, and the Iraqi point of view regarding military operations in Ukraine,” Sahhaf told AFP on Thursday.
Mr. Sahhaf then recalled that his country was in favor of “any process of dialogue making it possible to defuse this escalation and alleviate the crises […] particularly in the food security and energy sectors”, the war in Ukraine having led to a surge in prices on international markets.
A close ally of Iran, Baghdad also maintains strategic relations with the United States, which still has soldiers stationed in Iraq as part of the international coalition engaged against the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
Thursday, the head of Iraqi diplomacy had already received his Saudi counterpart Fayçal ben Farhane. The two ministers did not mention a possible resumption of negotiations between Riyadh and Tehran, the two regional heavyweights. Baghdad plays the role of mediator in these talks which have stalled for several months.