Dmytro Kuleba has arrived in Iraq on what is the first visit by the Ukrainian foreign minister since 2012.
He held talks in Baghdad with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said.
"Ukraine and Iraq have a long history of friendship and mutual respect. At one time, Ukrainian servicemen helped to normalise the situation on Iraqi territory. Today, the Iraqi government supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity against the backdrop of Russia's full-scale invasion. Last week's telephone conversation between the leaders of our countries gave a significant impetus to the intensification of bilateral political dialogue. And today I have arrived in Baghdad to open the door to new opportunities in bilateral relations between Ukraine and Iraq, to fill our relations with new practical content," said Kuleba.
The minister told his Iraqi counterpart about the efforts of the Ukrainian defence forces to repel Russian aggression and liberate the occupied territories. He paid special attention to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula to establish a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
The foreign ministers discussed the export of Ukrainian grain.
The ministers agreed to hold:
- consultations at the level of a number of ministries of Ukraine and Iraq to intensify cooperation in trade, education and digitalisation;
- political consultations of the Foreign Ministries;
- the fifth meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation. The commission last met in 2012.
Kuleba invited Fuad Hussein to visit Ukraine.
On 10 April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held telephone talks with the prime minister of Iraq. The parties raised a number of issues, including the Ukrainian peace formula.