To strengthen defense and economic partnerships with North African countries, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, accompanied by members of his Cabinet, visited Egypt and Tunisia in August 2024.
During his meeting with Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, al-Sudani asserted that, “a stable Iraq is a strength for all brotherly and friendly countries in the region.” He went on to say that his country is capable of being a meeting ground for partnering countries to restore stability and defuse wars in the region.
Pledging to continue providing full support for Iraq’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity, President el-Sisi stressed the Egyptian government’s keenness to fully cooperate with Iraq in various fields, saying that a strong Iraq serves as a pillar for the security of the region. He also highlighted Egypt’s contribution to rebuilding Iraq and praised the Iraqi government’s effort to restore stability, growth and economic openness with the region and the world. Several Egyptian firms are expected to execute infrastructure projects in Iraq worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
At the end of its visit to Egypt, the Iraqi delegation led by al-Sudani flew to Tunisia and met with Tunisian President Kais Saied and Prime Minister Kamal Madaoui.
The Tunisian president expressed his country’s readiness to strengthen ties with Iraq and explore new avenues for cooperation based on mutual interests. Those include expanded partnerships with Iraq in the fields of air transport, tourism, culture, energy, agriculture and trade.
Eighteen agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed in Baghdad in May 2024 by Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister Fouad Hussein and Nabil Ammar, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad. Sources: Aljazeera.net, alquds.co.uk