Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Meets his Spanish Counterpart in Madrid to Discuss Strengthening Bilateral Relations, Regional and International Developments

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mr. Fuad Hussein met with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of the Kingdom of Spain Mr. José Manuel Albares, at the headquarters of the Spanish Foreign Ministry in Madrid, on Friday, 29 November 2024. 

The meeting started with an official welcoming by the Spanish Foreign Minister followed by a bilateral meeting that addressed a number of issues of common concern, as both sides highlighted bilateral relations between Iraq and Spain which were evaluated in their economic and political aspects as being in a remarkable positive development. On the economic level the Minister commended the Spanish companies participation in infrastructure projects in Iraq, underlining the importance of strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors in the two countries.

Furthermore, Minister Hussein called for activating political consultations through holding a meeting at the level of Deputy Ministers of the two foreign ministries, to resume the work of the joint committees, which was welcomed by the Spanish Minister, who pledged to implement this proposal soon. 

The Minister touched on the importance of organizing training courses in cooperation with friendly countries, focusing on the Diplomatic Academy of Spain to train the Ministry’s staff in the areas of European-Latin American relations, as both side agreed to work on  activating this proposal. 

The meeting discussed the current situation in the Middle East, including the military escalation in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Minister Fuad Hussein appreciated the positive stance taken by the Spanish Government towards these events, expressing Iraq’s gratitude for this humanitarian support. 

As well as the meeting addressed the international situation, where Minister Hussein expressed his hope that the new U.S. administration would contribute to finding solutions to the crises that afflict the region and the world. in addition they discussed the developments in the Russian-Ukrainian war and the need to find a way to end this conflict. 

The meeting ended by emphasizing the importance of strengthening cooperation between the two countries across political, economic and diplomatic areas, in a way that enhances regional and international stability and peace.