Iraqi Foreign Minister heads to the United States on an official visit

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein departed for the United States on Thursday on an official visit to discuss several joint security and economic issues.

Fuad Hussein said in a post on Twitter: “We left Thursday, for the United States, where we will hold a series of bilateral meetings to strengthen Iraqi-American relations and coordinate efforts on regional and international issues.” He stressed that “we will discuss ways to enhance joint security and cooperation in various fields.”

For his part, an informed Iraqi government source confirmed that “Hussein will discuss several important issues with the American side, with the political and security aspects dominating these issues.” The source, who requested anonymity, said that “the discussions, which will be initiated by Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and an accompanying government delegation, will include the American presence in Iraq and the mission of the international coalition, and security cooperation understandings regarding the fight against ISIS, in addition to financial and economic issues, most notably the possibility of signing a joint memorandum of cooperation between the two sides regarding energy supplies with General Electric and reforming the Iraqi gas sector to achieve self-sufficiency.”

He explained that “the minister will discuss with the American side the possibility of extending the import of Iranian gas for a further period, to avoid the energy crisis that Iraq may experience next summer.”

Burathanews.com