RPT - Russia-Iraq Intergovernmental Commission Plans To Meet In First Half Of 2020 - Ambassador

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th February, 2020) The Russian-Iraqi intergovernmental commission is planning to convene in Moscow during the first half of this year, Russian Ambassador to Iraq Maksim Maksimov has told Sputnik in an interview.

"The Russian-Iraqi intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation is actively working. We consider this platform to be the most important mechanism for developing relations in various spheres of bilateral cooperation. We hope that the ninth meeting [of the commission] will be held in Moscow during the first half of this year," Maksimov said.

The last meeting of the commission was convened in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad in April. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Borisov then met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Alhakim, with the latter proposing that the Russian Embassy in Baghdad open an economic department.

Maksimov added that prior to the meeting, both parties are working "on preparing a number of important bilateral agreements that should give the development of Russian-Iraqi cooperation a significant impetus. This includes the transportation and transit sectors, as well as the mutual abolition of visas for individuals holding diplomatic, military or special passports."

On Monday, Iraqi Ambassador to Russia Abdul-Rahman Hamid Al-Husseini expressed his hopes that the meeting would be held in April. The diplomat added that Baghdad will be represented by the foreign minister at the next gathering.

Notably, Iraq's newly-appointed Prime Minister Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi is currently working on the formation of the new government. Iraqi lawmaker Mohammed al-Khalidi told the National Iraqi news Agency earlier on Thursday that the composition of the cabinet will be announced on Sunday.