French President’s office has confirmed that Emmanuel Macron will pay an official visit to Iraq tomorrow.
Macron’s visit aimed at showing solidarity with the Arab country at a time of extreme crisis. For Iraqi prime minister, visit of such high-ranking foreign official will be the serious event, taking into account that PM Mustafa al-Kazemi took office last May.
‘He will meet with Al-Kazemi and President Barhah Salim, and a number of politicians,’ the Rudaw reported.
According to local sources, the focus of the interviews would be on insisting that Baghdad open an independent path between its two main allies, Iran and the United States. Last summer, French top diplomat Jean-Yves Le Drian recommended that Iraq should dissociate itself from regional tensions.
Unlike most foreign officials visiting this Arab country, President Macron will not travel to Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi autonomous region of Kurdistan, and instead, hopes that Kurdish leaders will come to Baghdad to meet him.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron is staying in Lebanon where he gave a speech. Being asked of Hezbollah, the French leader said it is part of the Lebanese nation. As Al Mayadeen quotes Macron, there is a partnership today between Hezbollah and other parties in Lebanon, and Hezbollah has been chosen by the nation.
Commenting on the internal political life of Lebanon after the elections, the representatives of parliament have also been elected by the people, Macron said. He also noted that the Cabinet must be formed quickly and the electricity and anti-corruption sector must be reformed.
