2023-06-15 15:39:08
The Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, arrived Thursday in Baghdad on a visit that carries “political and economic dimensions”, at a time when Iraq is witnessing increasing openness to its regional partners to strengthen its economy and infrastructure.
And at Baghdad airport, the Iraqi Prime Minister, Muhammad Shia’a al-Sudani, was received by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani when he got off the plane, according to footage broadcast by local channels.
Relations between the two countries witnessed a cooldown for years, especially during the rule of Saddam Hussein’s regime, and returned to improvement regarding ten years ago.
Iraq, where a third of its population suffers from poverty despite its vast oil wealth, seeks to build common relations in all directions with the aim of rebuilding its dilapidated infrastructure following decades of wars.
Qatar, the gas-rich country, is a distinguished partner in this direction.
A diplomatic source, who declined to be named, told AFP that “economic issues will have a fundamental and fundamental role in the talks that will take place between His Highness the Emir and the Prime Minister.”
“We will witness the signing of several memorandums of understanding in various sectors,” he added, without giving further details.
Last April, Qatar Energy agreed to participate with a 25% stake in the Integrated Gas Growth Project (GGIP) in cooperation with the French Total Energy group.
The project aims to develop investment in Iraq’s gas resources and improve electricity supply.
Qatar Energy entered the project at the invitation of Total Energy, which has a 45 percent stake.
At the end of May, Qatar participated, along with many countries in the region, in a conference in which Iraq announced the huge and ambitious “Development Road” project to build a road and railway to link the Gulf with Turkey.
This project, which the Iraqi government has set at a cost of regarding $17 billion and a length of 1,200 km inside Iraq, is still in its early stages.
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