Macron makes a statement as he arrives for a European Union Council
in Brussels on July 17, 2020, as the leaders of the European Union
hold their first face-to-face summit over a post-virus economic
rescue plan. – The EU has been plunged into a historic economic
crunch by the coronavirus crisis, and EU officials have drawn up
plans for a huge stimulus package to lead their countries out of
lockdown. (Photo by Francisco Seco / POOL / AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron will make his first
official trip to Iraq on Wednesday, government sources in Baghdad
told AFP, to signal solidarity with the crisis-hit
country.
The one-day visit following his trip to Lebanon will make Macron
the most senior foreign official to travel to Iraq since Prime
Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi ascended to power in May.
“He will meet the Iraqi prime minister and president and is
hoping to hold talks with a range of political actors,” an Iraqi
government source told AFP.
Two other Iraqi officials confirmed the visit. Macron’s office
has yet to publically confirm the trip.
The focus, the Iraqi sources said, would be on “sovereignty” —
insisting Baghdad carve out an independent path away from the
tug-of-war between its two main allies, Washington and Tehran.
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});
The message will echo that of France’s top diplomat Jean-Yves Le
Drian during a trip to Iraq in July, when he insisted Baghdad
“should dissociate itself from regional tensions”.
On August 27, French Defence minister Florence Parly held talks
in Baghdad and Arbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish region.
Unlike most foreign officials visiting Iraq, Macron will not
stop over in Arbil, and is instead hoping Kurdish leaders will come
to Baghdad to meet him.
Iraq has been rocked by a series of crises this year, starting
with a US drone strike in January that killed top Iranian general
Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis.
Iran retaliated with strikes against US troops in western Iraq,
and Tehran-backed groups are suspected of launching volleys of
rockets on American diplomatic, military and commercial interests
in recent months.
As OPEC’s second biggest crude producer, Iraq was hit hard by
the collapse in oil prices and the coronavirus pandemic forced the
country’s fragile economy to sink even further.
AFP