French President Emmanuel Macron arrived on Wednesday to Iraq's capital Baghdad for his first official visit to the capital for talks with top Iraqi leaders over bilateral relations while showing solidarity with the war-torn country, where he hopes to help Iraq reassert its "sovereignty" despite simmering US-Iran tensions.
Local media reported that Macron is expected to meet with Iraqi President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi as well as other top officials during his one-day visit to discuss closer security cooperation with Iraq, pointing to France's role as a member of the international coalition against ISIS.
Coming straight from a two-day trip to Beirut Macron is the first presidential-level official to visit Iraq since al-Kadhimi took office in May.
The trip was not publicly announced until Tuesday evening, with officials in Paris and Baghdad keeping a tight lid on arrangements for security reasons.
On his final night in Beirut, the french president announced he was heading to Baghdad "to launch an initiative alongside the United Nations to support a process of sovereignty".
"The fight for Iraq's sovereignty is essential," the president had told reporters on Friday, before departing for Lebanon.
"Iraqis, who suffered so much, deserved options besides domination by regional powers or Islamist extremism", added the president "There are leaders and a people who are aware of this, and who want to take their destiny in hand. The role of France is to help them do so".
Follow the latest news on Google News
