Russian top diplomat to discuss situation in Iraqi Kurdistan, fight against IS with Iraqi counterpart

MOSCOW, October 23. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iraqi counterpart Ibrahim al-Jaafari will hold talks in Moscow on Monday, discussing the situation surrounding Iraqi Kurdistan, the fight against the Islamic State terror group (IS, outlawed in Russia) and ways to resolve the Syrian conflict. The Iraqi top diplomat’s visit to Russia will last until October 25. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, his agenda also includes a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin. Rogozin and Al-Jaafari are the co-chairs of the Russian-Iraqi Commission for Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation. At their upcoming meeting, the parties will discuss the implementation of agreements reached at the Commission’s sixth session held in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad in February 2016. On October 23, the Iraqi foreign minister will address students of Moscow State Institute of International Relations, clarifying Baghdad’s view on regional and global trends. Iraqi Kurdistan issue On September 25, a referendum on independence took place in Iraqi Kurdistan, the country’s autonomous region. According to the Kurdish Election Commission, more than 90% of those taking part in the plebiscite voted in favor of seceding from Iraq. Baghdad declared the referendum illegal, demanding that the Iraqi Kurdistan’s authorities return to the situation that had existed before September 25. The situation has been particularly tense in the city of Kirkuk, which is not part of the Kurdish autonomy but joined the referendum unilaterally. On October 9, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi Armed Forces, gave instructions to the government forces to restore security and stability in the Kirkuk province, cooperating with the Kurd Peshmerga units and local residents. The Iraqi prime minister also said that the federal and local forces would control the disputed areas together, under the guidance of the Baghdad authorities. After the September 25 plebiscite, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Moscow supported Iraq’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. At the same time, Russia has been maintaining close relations with the Iraqi Kurds, which, according to Lavrov, are no secret for Iraq’s government. Fight against terrorism In the previous years, the Islamic State terror group seized large territories in Iraq, as well as in Syria. However, Iraqi troops, supported by the Peshmerga units, militias and the aircraft of the US-led coalition, managed to gain significant success in the fight against militants. In June 2017, the government forces liberated the city of Mosul, which had been the Islamic State’s main stronghold in Iraq. However, the fight against the terror group goes on in Iraq’s neighbor state, Syria, while IS members have been migrating from one country to another after facing defeats. Cooperation in the fight against terrorism remains an important aspect of relations between Moscow and Baghdad, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. "The situation in Iraq will top the meeting’s agenda, particularly in light of the final stage of the counter-terrorism operation aimed at eliminating the ISIL [the former name of the IS - TASS]," the statement reads. Situation in Syria Instability in Syria has been contributing to the spread of terrorism, so ways of resolving the Syrian conflict will also be discussed at the Moscow meeting between the Russian and Iraqi top diplomats. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, "the agenda of the talks between Lavrov and al-Jaafari will also include the situation in Iraq’s neighboring country, Syria, as Russia continues to make efforts to normalize the situation ‘on the ground’, particularly facilitating the Astana process, as well as to eliminate the hotbeds of international terrorism and extremism and help build a broad intra-Syrian dialogue aimed at finding an early political solution to the Syrian crisis based on the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254." Oil issue As interior conflicts and the fight against terrorism are coming to an end, Iraq’s attractiveness for Russian companies, including energy ones, is growing. Cooperation in the oil industry is expected to be touched upon during the Iraqi foreign minister’s visit, particularly at his meeting with Rogozin. In this connection, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that "the focus will be on the fuel and energy sector in light of large-scale projects that Russian oil and gas companies have been implementing in Iraq." The parties will also discuss cooperation in other fields. Iraq’s ambassador to Russia said earlier in an interview with TASS that the country needed foreign investment in order to restore territories liberated from terrorists. This is the reason why the agenda of the meeting between Rogozin and al-Jaafari will include issues concerning interaction in the electricity sector, industry and agriculture, as well as social and civil infrastructure projects. Weapons deliveries In the recent years, Moscow and Baghdad resumed close military cooperation. In 2014, the two countries signed a contract on weapons deliveries worth more than four billion dollars. Russian military officers have been involved in training Iraqi troops. Baghdad does not rule out that in the future, military partnership with Moscow may be expanded. According to head of Russia’s Federal Service for Military and Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iraqi Vice President Nuri al-Maliki discussed the delivery of the T-90 tanks to Baghdad at their Moscow meeting in July. Read more