Iraq urges Cuba to work on stalled debts, invites it for investment
Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Iraq has urged Cuba to work on resettling its debts so as to help the country recover economically after years of war, the office of Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said Tuesday.
According to a statement by Jaafari’s office, the minister was meeting in Baghdad with the new non-resident Cuban ambassador, Alexis Vega.
During the meeting, Jaafari urged Cuba to “cooperate as for addressing Cuba’s debts to Iraq, especially that Iraq is going through exceptional circumstances including falling oil prices and the cost of war against Islamic State terrorists”.
The ambassador, according to the statement, replied to assure that Cuba was “ready to answer all of Iraq’s needs, and to boost relations on the political, economic, cultural and commercial levels”
Jaafari, during the meeting, made an invitation to his Cuban counterpart to visit Iraq, said the statement.
The minister said “Cuba contribute to Iraq’s reconstruction efforts and benefit from the investment opportunities the Iraqi government is promoting”.
Iraq fought since 2014 against Islamic State militants and managed to retake all territories under their control in December 2017. The war had dealt a severe damage to the country’s infrastructure. Coupled with falling prices of oil, the country’s main source of income, Iraq appealed to world donors and investors during a conference in February in Kuwait, where it managed to collect nearly USD30 billion.