China News Agency, Paris, September 2 (Reporter Li Yang) French President Emmanuel Macron paid a visit to Iraq on the 2nd. This is his first visit to the country since he took office and has attracted attention from the outside world.
He emphasized the need to safeguard the sovereignty of Iraq.
After Macron arrived in Baghdad, he held talks with Iraqi President Saleh and Prime Minister Kadimi.
He said at a joint press conference with Saleh that France will continue to support Iraq.
He pointed out that the intervention of external forces in Iraq and the extremist organization "Islamic State" are still Iraq's main challenges.
Macron emphasized the need to safeguard Iraq’s national sovereignty and called on Iraqi officials to continue to have the vision of rebuilding sovereignty.
He said that this is very important not only for Iraq, but also for the entire region.
Macron also stated that Iraq has experienced many years of challenging periods, including war, terrorism and foreign intervention.
He said that France will support the Iraqi government and the international community will continue to provide assistance to Iraq.
Iraqi President Saleh said he expects Macron to visit Iraq for a longer period of time in 2021.
Iraqi Prime Minister Kadimi said that Iraq "does not want to be a fighting arena for conflict" and hopes that France and Europe can help Iraq and related regions achieve stability.
He also said that Iraq and France will sign an energy agreement and strengthen military cooperation in the future.
French Foreign Minister Le Drian accompanied Macron on his visit to Iraq.
Le Drian visited Iraq in July and expressed the hope that Iraq can be freed from regional tensions.
French public opinion believes that Macron’s visit to Iraq is of great significance, indicating that France is seeking to expand economic ties with Iraq; at the same time, if tensions in the Middle East further escalate, France is expected to mediate.
Macron went directly to Iraq after ending his visit to Lebanon.
Macron visited Lebanon again after the explosion in Beirut on August 4, calling on the Lebanese side to form a new government and carry out reforms as soon as possible.
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