French President Emmanuel Macron met Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Thursday to sign a set of strategic agreements intended to boost Baghdad's economic cooperation with Paris, notably in the energy and public transportation sectors.
France and Iraq signed a treaty seeking to strengthen bilateral relations in the spheres of anti-corruption, security, renewable energy and culture, the Elysée Palace said in a statement issued on Friday.
Macron and Shia al-Sudani "have reaffirmed their commitment to complete major infrastructures projects based on French know-how", the statement said
On the question of energy transition, the two leaders are committed to the implementation of TotalEnergies's project based on solar energy and investments in gas.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that that Qatar was in talks to acquire some of French oil major TotalEnergies' $27 billion cluster of energy projects in Iraq, as Baghdad hopes to stem efforts by western energy companies to exit the country.
When TotalEnergies and Baghdad in 2021 signed an agreement to build four giant solar, gas, power and water projects in southern Iraq over 25 years, hopes for an exodus reversal were high. Exxon Mobil, Shell and BP have all sought to scale back their operations in Iraq in recent years.
(with wires)
