Istanbul / Anadolu

The Iraqi government announced on Wednesday that Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will pay an official visit to Iran on Thursday to discuss bilateral relations, gas supplies, and regional developments.

Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi said during a press conference in Baghdad that al-Zaidi will head to Tehran at the head of a high-level ministerial delegation, at the invitation of Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.

He added that the visit's talks will cover bilateral relations, regional developments, and international issues, as well as cooperation in trade, energy, transport, agriculture, environment, and climate change.

Al-Aboudi explained that the file of Iranian gas supplies to Iraq will be on the table, amid a sharp decline in quantities arriving and its impact on the production of Iraqi power plants.

He said the Iraqi delegation will discuss with the Iranian side "all possible visions and solutions" to address the gas file, according to what Iraqi interests require.

Iraqi power plants rely on gas imported from Iran to operate their production units, and a decline in supplies leads to a reduction in the network's power supply, especially during periods of high demand.

The visit to Tehran is part of a regional tour by the Iraqi prime minister that included Qatar, and is expected to be followed by a visit to Turkey before the end of July.

Follows///