Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi will visit Washington on Monday as part of efforts to strengthen strategic relations with the United States, amid expectations of signing agreements in the oil and gas sectors as part of a broader trend to expand economic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries.

Haider al-Aboudi, the spokesman for the Iraqi government, said on Sunday in a conference reported by the Iraqi News Agency: 'Among the memorandums of understanding to be signed between Iraq and the United States are in the fields of oil and gas, and the entry of specialized American companies that will raise the level of productive capacity.'

Al-Aboudi stressed that the agreements slated to be signed in the oil and gas sectors will also include working to find alternative export outlets, thereby reducing Iraq's exposure to navigation disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

He added that enhancing the capabilities of the Iraqi security forces would also be among the topics discussed during the talks in Washington, affirming that 'within the visit will be the file of arming the security forces and developing our heroic forces.'