Russia FM to visit Iraq heading official delegation
Al Mayadeen correspondent reports that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be heading to Iraq on an official visit.
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Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaking at his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, January 18, 2023 (AP Photo)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is set to arrive in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, on Sunday, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported on Saturday.
The Russian top diplomat will be chairing a Russian governmental delegation and a business delegation that will include several Russian corporations from various economic sectors.
"Lavrov will meet during this visit Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammad Shia Al Sudani, and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Al-Halbousi," Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported.
Lavrov's schedule is also supposed to include meetings in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Russian Ambassador to Iraq Elbrus Kutrashev said in December that the US and NATO are meddling in the country's domestic affairs, although they are not occupying Iraq.
"The situation in the country [Iraq] is very ambiguous. There has been no occupation per se for a long time, but there is interference in internal affairs. It is aimed, among other things, at preventing Iraq from cooperating with those outside the good graces of Washington and its allies," Kutrashev said.
The NATO operation in Iraq was formally established in July 2018 under the pretext of educating the Iraqi security forces without ever engaging in military conduct.
The NATO nations' foreign ministers decided to increase their deployment in Iraq in April 2020. They specifically agreed that the NATO operation would train the Iraqi federal police, sappers, and non-commissioned officers.
