PM receives the Putin’s Special Envoy to MEA

By John Lee.
Prime Minister Adil Abd Al-Mahdi has received the Russian President’s Special Envoy to the Middle East and Africa, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia and his accompanying delegation, Mr. Mikhail Bogdanov, who conveyed the greetings of the Russian President and the Russian Prime Minister to His Excellency, renewing the support of the Russian leadership for the Iraqi government and expressing the desire to develop relations between the two countries in all fields.

His Excellency Prime Minister expressed his pride in the relations between the two countries and peoples, commending Russia’s support for Iraq, confirming Iraq’s keenness to expand relations of cooperation in the economic, investment fields and the development of oil and gas fields.

His Excellency praised the Russian role and its balanced relations, which contribute to strengthening security and stability efforts in the region.

They discussed the holding of the next session of the Iraqi-Russian Joint Governmental Committee and the developments in the region.

The meeting was attended by Mr. Yixi Solomatin, Vice President of the Middle East and North Africa Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Yuri Shafranik, President of the Russian Federation of Oil and Gas Producers, Mr. Guse Gochetel, Director General of Soyuz Naft Gas, and Maxime Maximov, Russian Ambassador to Iraq.

Also, the meeting attended by Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer Ghadhban, Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr. Nizar Al-Khairallah, the Iraqi Ambassador in Moscow Mr. Haider al-Athari, and a number of advisers.

(Source: Media Office of the Prime Minister)

Putin may visit Baghdad amid growing Russian-Iraqi Contacts

By  for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News

Putin eyes visit to Baghdad amid growing Russian-Iraqi contacts

Lately, official Russian-Iraqi contacts have been intensifying noticeably.

On Nov. 23, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iraqi President Barham Salih met behind closed doors within the agenda of the Mediterranean Dialogue in Rome. On Nov. 20-21, Mikhail Bogdanov, the Russian deputy foreign minister and special presidential envoy for the Middle East and North Africa, met all of Iraq’s key decision-makers when he was in Baghdad. The sides agreed to further develop relations and make efforts to hold a meeting on the highest level.

Russian officials’ increased contacts with their Iraqi counterparts have become a virtual necessity as a result of the changes in Iraq’s domestic politics brought about by the latest electoral cycle. The number, level, and scale of the meetings are indeed exceptional, and all the more so considering the constant foreign trips Iraqi politicians themselves make.

Click here to read the full story.