Qureshi invites Iraqi PM to visit Pakistan

BAGHDAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, on behalf of Prime Minister Imran Khan, extended an invitation to Iraqi PM Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to visit Pakistan.

Qureshi extended the invitation in a meeting with the Iraqi PM in Baghdad on Saturday during his three-day trip to Iraq.

The Iraqi PM, while accepting PM Imran Khan’s invitation, hoped that the visit would take place at the “earliest convenience”. Apart from extending the invitation, Pakistan’s top diplomat lauded the Iraqi people for their “resilience” against the “serious challenges” they face against “peace and security”.

Qureshi also paid tribute to the Iraqis for the sacrifices they made in the fight against terrorism and also suggested that Islamabad and Baghdad share each other’s “experience and expertise” in the area.

The foreign minister told the Iraqi premier that he had come to the country to “translate Pakistan’s existing friendly relationship with Iraq into a collaborative and mutually beneficial partnership across diverse fields”.

Qureshi briefed Kadhimi on “Pakistan’s focus on building connectivity and economic diplomacy”. He also identified areas, such as tourism, manpower export, infrastructure development, investment and food security, in which the two countries could significantly benefit from enhanced cooperation.

The country’s top diplomat also stated that Pakistan’s wishes to “meet its energy requirements with oil from Iraq”. He laid special emphasis on the need to further strengthen people to people linkages, in particular facilitating thousands of Pakistani Zaireen who visit Iraq every year.

Qureshi also emphasised the need for high-level visits between Islamabad and Baghdad for building and carrying forward the “positive momentum in the relationship”.

The Pakistani foreign ministers suggested that the “two countries should develop an overarching framework of political consultations and bilateral cooperation at the Foreign Ministers level to provide impetus to deepening and strengthening mutually beneficial partnership”, said the Foreign Office.

The FO said that the Iraqi PM “welcomed the idea, in principle”.

On the other hand, the Iraqi PM expressed interest in cooperating with Pakistan in the “health sector” and also suggested that the two countries look into the possibility of utilising Pakistan’s health facilities for the Iraqi people. He urged the foreign ministers of both countries to explore tangible collaboration in this field.

Separately, Qureshi also called on Iraqi President Dr Barham Salih to convey warm wishes on behalf of the Pakistani leadership.

The FO said that President Salih “warmly welcomed” Qureshi and reciprocated the feelings expressed on behalf of Pakistan’s leadership. He also thanked the foreign minister for Pakistan’s understanding and support.

During the meeting, Qureshi had briefed the president on Pakistan’s transformed vision centred around economic security, shifting focus from geo-politics to geo-economics.

In his meeting with the Iraqi leaders, Qureshi briefed them on Pakistan’s efforts in the Afghan peace process and diplomatic support given to the people of Palestine.

In his meeting with the president, the foreign minister briefed him on the situation in South Asia, in particular Pakistan’s approach towards the issues and disputes with India.