Libya seeks expanded cooperation with Iraq across key sectors: Foreign minister

Libya needs to strengthen cooperation with Iraq across various sectors, acting Foreign Minister Taher Al-Baour said Sunday.

Baour made the remarks at a joint news conference with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in the capital Baghdad, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

“Our relationship with Iraq is longstanding, and the two countries share many common issues,” Al-Baour said.

He added that Libya seeks to become an effective state within the Arab region.

The Libyan minister stressed the need for cooperation and information-sharing with Iraq in several fields, including education, health and oil.

Hussein, for his part, said efforts were underway to develop relations with Libya and affirmed Baghdad’s support for a peaceful settlement among the Libyan parties.

He added that Baour’s visit would include the signing of a number of memorandums of understanding.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi also discussed with Al-Baour and his accompanying delegation ways to strengthen bilateral relations.

Zaidi received a written message from Libyan National Unity Government’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh emphasizing “the importance of consolidating and strengthening bilateral relations between Iraq and Libya,” according to a statement from his office.

The message also included an official invitation for the Iraqi prime minister to visit Libya “at the earliest possible opportunity” and stressed the importance of continued coordination and consultations to align positions at international forums regarding challenges facing the Arab region.

Zaidi said Iraq was “determined to build the best possible foreign relations with brothers and friends.”

He emphasized the importance Baghdad attaches to opportunities for cooperation and economic integration to “strengthen capabilities, support sustainable development and reinforce the foundations of a positive partnership.”

Baour arrived in Baghdad earlier Sunday for an official visit of an unspecified duration to participate in meetings of the Libyan-Iraqi Joint Committee on Sunday and Monday, according to the Foreign Ministry.

The committee is reconvening after a 25-year hiatus.

Upon his arrival, Baour held talks with Hussein on bilateral relations and ways to develop cooperation in various fields.

They also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern and exchanged views on them, the ministry said.

The Libyan-Iraqi Joint Committee is a high-level institutional framework intended to strengthen bilateral relations and facilitate agreements covering economy, trade, investment, health, education and security.

The precise date of the committee’s establishment could not be confirmed, but sources told Anadolu that its first session was held in 2000, when the two countries agreed that it would convene annually.

Its second and most recent session was held in the Libyan capital Tripoli in 2001.

The committee’s meetings were subsequently suspended following the 2003 US invasion of Iraq and the fall of Saddam Hussein’s government, followed by the collapse of Muammar Gaddafi’s government in Libya in 2011.