Russian foreign minister arrives in Baghdad

BAGHDAD, October 7. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad on Monday, where he is set to hold talks with the country’s leadership, TASS reports. Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova informed that during the talks, the sides would exchange opinions on key aspects on Middle Eastern agenda with special attention paid to the situation in Iraq and Syria, the Persian Gulf, as well as the situation around Iran and Palestine. "Discussion of multilateral development prospects and strengthening traditionally friendly Russian-Iraqi relations, including cooperation in the fuel, energy and humanitarian spheres, will be a priority topic during the talks," she said. In the run-up to the visit, Iraqi Ambassador to Moscow Mansur Hadi said that Lavrov would meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi and President Barham Salih. He will also hold talks at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry. Lavrov is accompanied by representatives of Russian oil and gas companies looking to expand investment. Lavrov previously visited Iraq in 2011 and 2014. His Iraqi colleague Mohammed Ali al-Hakim visited Moscow in January 2019. Read more