BAGHDAD: Qatar’s emir arrived Thursday in Baghdad for a visit said to have “political and economic dimensions”, as Iraq increasingly looks abroad to help rebuild after decades of war.
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani was welcomed by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani at the airport, images broadcast on local media showed.
Relations between the two countries saw a long period of tension under former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who was toppled during the 2003 US-led invasion, before easing up over the past years.
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Despite Iraq’s immense oil and gas reserves, about one third of the population lives in poverty, and the government is seeking out regional partners to boost its beleaguered economy and infrastructure.
“Economic issues will take centre stage” in the meetings with the leader of gas-rich Qatar, an Iraqi diplomatic official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“We will witness the signing of many memoranda of understanding in various sectors,” the official added, without elaborating on the nature of the agreements.
QatarEnergy has already agreed to take a 25-percent stake in the Gas Growth Integrated Project, a $10 billion plan aimed at more efficiently using Iraq’s gas resources and improving the country’s rundown electricity grid.
The state-owned Qatari company joined the consortium at the invitation of French energy firm TotalEnergies, which oversees a 45-percent stake in the project. Iraq’s Basra Oil Company holds 30 percent.
Qatari officials joined a conference in Baghdad in late May alongside regional counterparts, where Iraq announced an ambitious project to turn itself into a transportation hub by developing its road and rail infrastructure, linking Europe with the Middle East.
If completed, the $17 billion project known as the “Route of Development” would span the length of the country, stretching 1,200 kilometres (745 miles) from the northern border with Turkey to the Gulf in the south.
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