Iraq
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Photo: Screengrab/Haaretz; Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani. Photo: AFP; Graphic: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia‘ al-Sudani received a phone call from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday evening, discussing the importance of finding a lasting peaceful solution to the war in Ukraine.
According to a statement from Sudani’s office, Zelensky said that Iraq is a “pivotal and influential country” and that Kyiv was keen to develop its ties with Baghdad. The phone call is the first public discussion between Sudani and Zelensky.
Sudani also “highlighted the importance of reaching a peaceful solution in Ukraine and resorting to dialogue to end the crisis, which has caused many tragedies,” the statement added.
Zelensky said in a tweet that they “agreed to activate all existing cooperation mechanisms and to launch new ones.”
I had a phone call with Prime Minister of Iraq @mohamedshia. Noted that Ukraine is ready for a new page of bilateral cooperation. We agreed to activate all existing cooperation mechanisms and to launch new ones. Ukrainian #PeaceFormula was also discussed.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 10, 2023
Russia invaded Ukraine in February last year but Iraq has so far steered away from taking sides in the conflict or publically condemning Moscow.
In March 2022, Iraq abstained from voting against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a United Nations resolution, showing Baghdad’s willingness to maintain its relations with Moscow.
Iraq and the Kurdistan Region share close economic ties with Russia as a number of Russian oil companies operate both in the Region and in oilfields in southern Iraq. The two countries first established diplomatic relations in 1944.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday condemned any foreign interference in Iraq’s internal affairs while praising the historic Moscow-Baghdad relations. The Russian president was likely referring to the US which has maintained strong influence in Iraq since its invasion of the country in 2003. Baghdad has since worked towards maintaining a balanced stance between American-Russian tensions.
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