Iraq on Wednesday signed a memorandum of understanding for enhanced cooperation with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).
The MoU was signed at a meeting in Baghdad between Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali al-Hakim and GCC Secretary-General Abdul Latif bin Rashid al-Zayani, who arrived in Iraq on Tuesday, Anadolu Agency reported.
According to a statement issued by Iraq’s Foreign Ministry, the MoU calls for regular “political consultations [between Iraqi and GCC representatives] to allow for regular dialogue on issues of mutual interest”.
At Wednesday’s meeting, Hakim and Zayani also discussed Iraq-GCC relations “and means of enhancing them with a view to meeting the aspirations of the Arab people”.
At a joint press conference held after the meeting, Hakim praised Iraq’s “distinguished relations” with GCC member-states.
“The security and safety of the Gulf is the security and safety of Iraq,” he said.
Zayani, for his part, said that GCC leaders, along with the GCC Secretariat-General, were “keen to establish a strategic dialogue and partnership with Iraq”.
Dominated by Saudi Arabia, the six-nation GCC also includes Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain.
The Baghdad Post
24/04/2019
