Russian Ambassador to Iraq: Moscow is open to all political parties in Iraq and Kurdistan

Interviews 11:26 AM - 2023-06-04

Russian ambassador to Iraq and Al-Masra's interviewer.

Elbrus Kutrashev, the Russian ambassador to Iraq, stated that relations between Russia and Iraq are good in all areas, particularly politics. He added: Russia has interconnections with all the political parties and forces in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, and 320 scholarships have been issued to Iraq, including 60, to the Kurdistan Region. 

Kutrashev stated during his participation in the Al-Masra TV program (Al-Masra Meeting) regarding economic relations: "Russia has a developed economic relationship and promising prospects throughout history with Iraq," noting that the volume of Russian investments in the field of oil and gas in Iraq exceeds 14 billion dollars annually and that Russia is the largest investor in oil and gas projects not only in Iraq but also in the Kurdistan region and is making efforts to include other areas.

Regarding military cooperation between Russia and Iraq, Kutrashev added: "Russia's military relations with Iraq are very advanced... The military relationship between the two countries will strengthen, despite the fact that many parties (who he did not name) obstruct military collaboration between Russia and Iraq."

Concerning academic scholarships for Iraqi students in Russia, the Russian ambassador stated, "Russia has awarded 320 academic scholarships to Iraq, 60 of which are for the Kurdistan Region."

Russia's relations with the Kurdistan Region

Kutrashev stated that "Russia is open to all political parties and forces in Iraq, especially in Kurdistan, and that the problems between the parties do not affect their relations with Russia because Russia does not favor one party at the expense of another party, highlighting the good relations between Russia and the two parties, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) and the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), and that Russia is now establishing relations with new parties present on the scene within the framework of diplomatic duty.”

The Role of Iraq in Resolving the Russian-Ukrainian Crisis

The Russian ambassador to Iraq stated about Iraq's role in settling the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, "Iraq is a very active and important member of the Arab contact group regarding the Russian-Ukrainian crisis."

Kutrashev stated the following regarding Syria's participation in the recent Arab summit held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: "Bashar al-Assad's participation in an Arab summit in Jeddah is an extremely significant historical event, and participation will play a role in the normalization process in Syria and the restoration of stability throughout the Middle East."

Iraqis travel to Russia, and vice versa

For Iraqis to travel to Russia and vice versa, Kutrashev said: "The procedures are straightforward, including purchasing a ticket and obtaining a visa from the Russian consulate affiliated with the embassy in Baghdad or one of the two consulates in Erbil and Basra. The matter frequently requires an invitation letter from Russia because, regrettably, many Iraqis who obtained a Russian visa even to study used it as an opportunity to go through Russian territory to migrate to Europe illegally.”

 

PUKMEDIA