Iraq's Prime Minister to Visit Russia in the Coming Weeks

 

An Iraqi foreign ministry statement reports that Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani will visit Moscow in the coming weeks.  Be sure to read the last two paragraphs to understand how Iraq voted on Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Fuad Hussein made the remarks after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the UN General Assembly in New York.

The two sides discussed prospects of joint cooperation and relations during the meeting.

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The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Al Sudani

Iraq is preparing for Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al Sudani's visit to Moscow in the coming weeks, Mr Hussein said.

During the talks between the two sides, he stressed the importance of discussing political and economic cooperation between the countries.

The joint Iraqi-Russian committee could also meet during the visit, he said.

Sergey Lavrov addresses the UN Security Council during a meeting on the Ukrainian crisis.

Sergey Lavrov addresses the UN Security Council during a ministerial meeting on the Ukraine crisis.

For his part, Mr Lavrov said that he was looking forward to Mr Al Sudani's visit to Moscow in the coming weeks.

There have been bilateral relations between Iraq and Russia for decades.

Baghdad and Moscow cooperate primarily in the fields of energy, military, and security.

A delegation of Russian companies was hosted by Baghdad in February by Mr Lavrov.

Baghdad and Moscow discussed food security and how to handle payments to Russia following Russia's attack on Ukraine.

The oil-rich southern part of Iraq is home to major Russian oil companies such as Gazprom Neft and Lukoil.

During his visit to Iraq earlier this year, Mr Lavrov said Russian companies had invested $13 billion in Iraq.

After Saudi Arabia, Iraq is Opec's second-largest crude oil producer.

As part of the punitive measures aimed at hurting Russia's economy and financial system, the US and EU haven't yet imposed sanctions on its oil sector.

As part of the fight against ISIS, Baghdad coordinates with Moscow.

Several months after the US established an international coalition against the extremist group, Iraq, Russia, Iran, and Syria formed a security coordination committee.

Iraq abstained from the UN General Assembly's resolution condemning Russia's invasion of Ukraine, along with China, Iran, India, Pakistan, Armenia, and 16 African countries.

141 countries out of 193 supported the resolution.