Iraqi Prime Minister Arrives in Russia

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani has arrived in Moscow, where he is scheduled to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a Sputnik correspondent reported Tuesday.

The airplane carrying Iraq's Prime Minister landed at the Vnukovo-2 international airport.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov, greeted Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani at a welcoming ceremony.

© Sputnik

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' Al-Sudani will discuss security in the region, as well as energy and logistics issues, during negotiations in Moscow on Tuesday.

The Russian head of state and the Iraqi head of government are expected to hold talks and also converse during a working breakfast, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov revealed. The leaders will meet again on October 11, when they will take part in the plenary session of Moscow-hosted Russian Energy Week.

Putin expects the Iraqi PM's visit to be "very productive and is timely." During his speech at the plenary session of the Valdai Discussion Club, the president said that Russia has maintained close and trusting relations with Iraq for many decades. Moscow seeks to bring stability to Iraq, which will serve as the basis for developing the economy and the social sphere.

The meeting between the Russian president and the Iraqi prime minister will take place against the backdrop of escalating Israel-Hamas violence. The situation is a matter of concern for the Kremlin, Peskov told reporters earlier. According to the spokesman, the conflict should be brought to a peaceful resolution as soon as possible, while the continuation of violence encourages further escalation, which is dangerous for the region.

So far, Moscow notes that the predicament in Israel has worsened. Moreover, there is a high risk that third parties will get involved in the conflict. Finding ways to move towards some kind of negotiation process as soon as possible in order to stop the escalation is crucial, Peskov stated.

According to the media reports of October 8, Al-Sudani held a series of talks with the leaders of Arab countries on the situation in Palestine and the ways to de-escalate it. Arab countries support the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister Hisham al-Ruqabi told Sputnik.