BAGHDAD: Russia and Iraq have good prospects for interaction in a number of spheres and Moscow is prepared for intensive and diversified cooperation with Baghdad. Bilateral cooperation prospects were discussed at Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin’s meeting with Iraqi President Fuad Masum.
Rogozin is in Iraq on a two-day visit with a large delegation of nearly a hundred government officials and businessmen. Later on Thursday the bilateral Russian-Iraqi inter-government commission will meet in session for the first time over eight years.
In his opening remarks at the meeting with Rogozin Masum said that Iraq and Russia, like Iraq and the Soviet Union in the past were linked with special relations. “The fact that you have arrived with such a large delegation confirms your interest in fostering relations with Iraq,” Masum said.
For his part Rogozin pointed to good cooperation prospects between the two countries in energy, industry, agriculture and transport and also in other spheres. “We are prepared for intensive cooperation with you,” he said. The talks were conducted mostly behind closed doors. In conclusion Rogozin presented Masum with a dirk from the Russian defense-industrial complex board and an album of photographs of Iraq made from Russian remote sensing satellites.
