Macron arrives in Baghdad to hold talks with Iraqi officials

French President Emmanuel Macron is in Baghdad on his first official visit to Iraq for talks with the country’s senior officials.

According to reports, coming straight from a two-day trip to the Lebanese capital Beirut, Macron arrived in Baghdad on Wednesday morning.

Macron’s visit is the first by a western head of state to Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi came to power in May.

Iraqi media said the French president will discuss closer military cooperation with Iraqi officials.

Macron was welcomed by President Barham Salih upon arrival.

The French president has already started a series of meetings with Iraqi officials including Prime Minister Kadhimi, President Salih and Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi. He is also scheduled to sit down for talks with Nechirvan Barzani, of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Local media reported that Macron will also hold a meeting with Iraq’s prominent Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf.

In a tweet he posted from the Iraqi capital, Macron claimed that he aimed to help guarantee Iraq’s security and economic sovereignty.

Speaking a day earlier in Beirut, Macron said he was heading to Baghdad “to launch an initiative alongside the United Nations to support a process of sovereignty.”

SS