PM Abadi visits France soon, Turkey visit not confirmed
Prime Minister ,Haider al-Abadi
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi will visit France soon based on an official invitation sent earlier, a spokesperson of his office said on Wednesday.
Saad al-Hadithi said France President Emanuel Macron had sent an official invitation to Abadi to visit France, adding, in statements quoted by Kurdish-run Rudaw network that the date of the visit was yet to be scheduled.
Commenting on other reports about a possible visit by the prime minister to Turkey, Hadithi said there were no information in that regard yet.
Turk Press had quoted what he described as a source close to the prime minister saying that Abadi was heading to Turkey after the end of the holy Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha, which ended Monday, to discuss a planned referendum in Kurdistan Region on independence from Iraq. The source said Abadi was also visiting France to discuss security and investment issues.
The Elysee Palace had said early August that Marcon made the invitation for the visit during a phone call with Abadi.
France is a member of the United States-led international military coalition fighting the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. It declared late August it was granting Iraq EUR430 million to support the country’s war-torn economy.