President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has met with President of the Republic of Iraq Abdullatif Jamal Rashid.

Abdullatif Jamal Rashid said he is happy to be in Azerbaijan. He thanked the Azerbaijani leader for the invitation to the Summit-Level Meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement Contact Group on the fight against COVID-19.

The Iraqi President noted that the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is an organization that plays a critical role in international relations.

The President of Azerbaijan thanked his Iraqi counterpart for visiting Azerbaijan. Noting that Azerbaijan’s Non-Aligned Movement Chairmanship is set to end, President Ilham Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s chairmanship had spared no effort to develop the NAM and came forward with some institutionalization-related initiatives such as the establishment of the NAM youth and parliamentary networks. The head of state pointed out Azerbaijan would host the 3rd NAM Summit during its chairmanship.

President Ilham Aliyev recalled with pleasure his participation in the Arab League Summit in Algeria, saying Azerbaijan attaches particular importance to developing relations with Arab countries.

The Iraqi President noted that his country is interested in deepening relations with Azerbaijan, adding that there are good opportunities for expanding cooperation even more.

Abdullatif Jamal Rashid provided information about Iraq’s problems and security threats and pointed out that his country had already entered a phase of stability.

The Azerbaijani President said there are ample opportunities for cooperation between the two nations within international organizations and mentioned OPEC+ and other formats in this respect.

The head of state underlined that Azerbaijan provided humanitarian assistance to the NAM member countries, including Iraq, during the pandemic.

President Ilham Aliyev also invited his Iraqi counterpart to pay an official visit to Azerbaijan. Abdullatif Jamal Rashid kindly accepted the invitation and, for his part, invited the Azerbaijani leader to visit Iraq.

During the conversation, the heads of state discussed cooperation in investments, energy, construction, transport and education. They underlined the importance of expanding the bilateral economic trade balance and arranging trips for business delegations.