Mikati arrives in Baghdad and Al-Sudani holds a discussion session with him, in which he confirms th

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[size=52]Mikati arrives in Baghdad and Al-Sudani holds a discussion session with him, in which he confirms the supply of oil to Lebanon[/size]

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2024-07-21
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati arrived in the capital, Baghdad, on Sunday morning, on an official visit to Iraq.[/size]
[size=45]The media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said in a statement today that the latter received his Lebanese counterpart at the government palace, where the ceremony witnessed the review of the honor guard and the playing of the Lebanese and Iraqi national anthems.[/size]
[size=45]According to the statement, Al-Sudani and his Lebanese counterpart held a bilateral discussion session that addressed relations between the two countries, ways to develop them, paths to enhance economic partnership, and the bilateral agreement on supplying Iraqi oil to Lebanon, in addition to discussing the situation in the region and the latest political and security developments there.[/size]
[size=45]The statement added that it was emphasized that the efforts of government agencies in the two countries would continue to solve the problem of delays in completing certificate equivalencies for Iraqi students, which dates back to periods of health and economic crises that hindered the work of public administrations in Lebanon.[/size]
[size=45]Al-Sudani pointed out that Iraq's positions on Lebanon stem from the commitment and brotherhood that unites the two brotherly peoples, and from the responsible regional and international role that Iraq takes towards developments in the region, stressing the need to stop the aggression against Lebanon and Palestine, and to make efforts to prevent the expansion of the conflict regionally and the fall of more innocent victims.[/size]
[size=45]For his part, Mikati expressed his appreciation for Al-Sudani's efforts and the steps taken by the Iraqi government to support economic relations with Lebanon, renewing the invitation to the Prime Minister to visit Lebanon. He also praised the Iraqi efforts in supporting regional and international rapprochement and stability.[/size]
[size=45]He stressed the continuation of work on economic and trade exchange agreements, strengthening partnerships between the public and private sectors in the two countries, studying the possibility of entering into projects that include establishing Iraqi industrial cities in Lebanon, and diversifying areas of mutual investment opportunities.[/size]
[size=45]The Lebanese Prime Minister explained his government's efforts to raise the level of security cooperation and coordination with Iraq in the field of combating terrorism and pursuing drug trafficking, and the importance of completing bilateral preparations for the convening of the joint economic committee between the two countries at the end of next September.[/size]
[size=45]On Friday, July 19, Lebanese media revealed an upcoming visit by the country's Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, in response to an invitation from his Iraqi counterpart, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.[/size]
[size=45]These media outlets said that Mikati will be accompanied on his visit by a ministerial delegation that includes: Minister of Energy Walid Fayyad, Minister of Economy Amin Salam, Minister of Agriculture Abbas Hajj Hassan, and Minister of Industry George Bouchikian, in addition to a number of advisors.[/size]
[size=45]The Iraqi government agreed in July to unload the fuel shipment despite Beirut’s failure to pay the financial dues owed to Baghdad.[/size]
[size=45]This comes after a call made by Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati to his Iraqi counterpart, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, and after Minister Fayyad had made several calls to his counterpart, Iraqi Oil Minister Hayan Abdul Ghani, the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office, and the Iraqi embassy in Lebanon, to address the fuel dues crisis and spare Lebanon total darkness.[/size]
[size=45]The Lebanese Minister had previously announced that the Iraqi Oil Marketing Company (SOMO) had stopped unloading fuel oil tankers exported to Lebanon due to non-payment of the due funds for the second year in a row.[/size]
[size=45]Fayyad said, “For the fifth consecutive month, the Central Bank of Lebanon has not transferred the price of fuel shipments to the Iraqi government’s account, and thus Lebanon becomes financially exposed to Iraq, as the due funds have not been transferred for the second consecutive year,” according to the Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.[/size]
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