Iraq’s PM Zaidi to visit France and Germany next week

BAGHDAD — Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will visit France and Germany early next week with a senior delegation for talks on investment, trade, energy, industry and technology, the government spokesperson said.

The trips follow official invitations from Paris and Berlin, Haider al-Aboudi told the Iraqi News Agency. Talks will also cover cultural and educational ties, political and security issues and regional developments. Baghdad wants to widen the opportunities for French and German companies in investment projects tied to its efforts to diversify the economy, he said, and to “transform common understandings into implementation tracks and practical partnerships.”

It is Zaidi’s second foreign trip since taking office in May, after his July visit to Washington, where Iraqi agencies and companies announced 48 agreements and memorandums with U.S. firms in oil, electricity, industry, technology and finance. His office has not published the texts or said how many are binding contracts.