Ambassador meets the Russian President’s envoy to the Middle East and North Africa

On July 15, 2019, Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to the Russian Federation, H.E. Haidar Mansour Hadi, met the Russian President’s envoy to the Middle East and North Africa, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr. Mikhail Bogdanov to discuss bilateral relations and latest political developments in the regional and international arena.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the implementation of the exchange of official visits between Iraqi and Russian officials, including the visit of the President of the Republic of Iraq Dr. Barham Salih and the Speaker of Council of Representatives of Iraq Mr. Mohamed Al-Halbousi to Russia, also the visit of the Russian Foreign Minister Mr. Sergey Lavrov to Iraq in the near future. These mutual visits reflect the desire of both countries to develop the bilateral relations.

Ambassador briefed to Mr. Bogdanov the latest developments in the Iraqi political process and the positive developments in the security field, especially after the victories achieved by Iraqi security forces in the fight against ISIL terrorists, praising the Russian role in supporting Iraq in its war against terrorism. Also Ambassador highlighted Iraq’s positions – on the regional developments in the Gulf region and the escalation between Iran and the United States – calling for the necessity to resolve the disputes through dialogue between all parties, stressing on that Iraq’s foreign policy is based on working away from the polarity policy.

For his part, Mr. Bogdanov stressed on the continues support of the Russian Government to Iraq and the will of Russian companies to contribute in the rebuilding of the cities destroyed by terrorist attacks. As for Iraq’s participation in the Astana Conference as an observer, Mr. Bogdanov said that Iraq participation will play a major role in supporting the efforts to bring peace to Syria, pointing out to that Russia is keen that Iraq plays an effective role in bringing together the points of view of the participants in the Conference.

For his part, Ambassador explained during the meeting keenness of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to participate actively in the success of political dialogue on the Syrian crisis, indicating that Iraq call for dialogue will have positive results in supporting the efforts of the Guarantor States.

At the end of the meeting, Ambassador briefed on the preparations for celebrating the 75-th anniversary of the Iraqi-Russian relations, pointing out to that this long history of cooperation reflects the strength of the bilateral relations between the two countries.