Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein revealed during a visit to Rome and a meeting with Antonio Tajani, Italy’s deputy prime minister and foreign minister, that the dispute between the United States and Iran had caused major economic losses for Iraq, with the value of these losses estimated at 60 billion dollars.
During the meeting, held at the Italian Foreign Ministry’s headquarters, the two sides discussed bilateral relations and prospects for developing security and military cooperation in the period following the end of the international coalition’s mission in Iraq. They also discussed pending financial and military files between Iraq and the Italian government and companies dating back to the former regime.
The Iraqi foreign minister stressed that the continuation of this dispute had exacerbated the global energy crisis and increased inflation risks, negatively affecting the economies of many countries, including European countries.
Fuad Hussein thanked the Italian government and people for their support for Iraq in the war against ISIS terrorists, particularly praising Italy’s role in training the Federal Police forces and the Kurdistan Region’s Peshmerga forces.
The Iraqi foreign minister called on the European Union and European countries, including Italy, to play an effective role in supporting peaceful initiatives and bringing the views of the conflicting parties closer together in order to prevent disputes from escalating.
The two ministers stressed the continuation of communication and coordination on matters of mutual interest. At the end of the meeting, Fuad Hussein presented his Italian counterpart with an official invitation to visit Iraq.
