On September 19, at 11:00, the Valdai Discussion Club will meet with H.E. Haidar Mansour Hadi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iraq to the Russian Federation. The meeting is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Iraq.

       The head of the Iraqi diplomatic mission in Moscow will speak on the eve of the already-announced visit of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Iraq in October.

       Today relations between the two countries are developing dynamically, many bilateral economic and trade projects are being implemented. The most active area of ？？cooperation is energy. Russian companies that already have a foothold in Iraq include OAO Lukoil and OAO Gazprom Neft.

       Russian-Iraqi relations had a tumultuous history. They were interrupted at the time of the monarchical regime in Iraq in 1955 and restored after its overthrow. In 1990, the USSR condemned the Iraqi annexation of Kuwait, and took part in the elaboration of relevant UN Security Council resolutions to resolve the Iraq-Kuwait crisis. In 2003, Russia, along with Germany and France, opposed the US when it defied UN resolutions and invaded Iraq, and later took measures to restore the country, which continue to this day.

       How does Iraq assess Russia’s role in the Middle East? What are the main bilateral projects the parties are implementing today? Is it possible for Russian companies to obtain preferential treatment in the Iraqi market? What efforts should Moscow and Baghdad take to strengthen regional security? Are there any issues where the parties cannot find mutual understanding? Participants of the meeting will answer these and other questions.

       Speaker:

       H.E. Haidar Mansour Hadi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Iraq to the Russian Federation.

       Moderator:

       Andrey Sushentsov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club.

       Working languages: Russian, Arabic.

       Information for the media! To attend, please fill out the accreditation form or call +7 926 930 77 63

       Information for participants! If you have any questions, please call +7 926 930 77 63