SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Tuesday for talks on bilateral relations and economy as well as the coronavirus pandemic.
Kadhimi arrived in Berlin on Monday night following his visit to Paris, where he met with President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Jean Castex.
During his official visit in Germany, the Iraqi premier discussed with Merkel bilateral relations and ways to enhance both countries’ cooperation, Kadhimi’s office said in a statement.
Both officials also discussed Iraqi-German partnership in the field of countering terrorism within the international coalition against Islamic State (ISIS) militants and Germany’s aid for the reconstruction of the liberated areas as well as electric power grids and the role of German companies in Iraq, the statement read.
Following their meeting, the Iraqi prime minister and the German chancellor held a joint press conference.
Kadhimi said he visited Germany to confirm Iraq’s commitment to close relations and its desire for a sustainable partnership with Germany, his office stated.
“These are difficult times for all of us due to the health and economic challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, which drives us more to cooperate, and we look forward to benefiting from German support and experience in these areas,” Kadhimi said.
Kadhimi further said Iraq and Germany had commercial and economic partnership, and that Baghdad was close to announce the start of the second phase of the roadmap implemented by German company Siemens to rehabilitate the electricity sector in Iraq.
Kadhimi will also meet with directors of German companies to discuss further cooperation in the field of infrastructure development in Iraq.
