Pedro Sánchez lands in Iraq on his fourth visit to the Middle East after the outbreak of the conflict between Israel and Hamas

2023-12-28 00:08:05

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, landed this Wednesday night in Baghdad on a trip that represents his fourth trip to the Middle East since the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas on October 7. Sánchez took the flight accompanied by a delegation of Spanish businessmen after appearing at the Moncloa Palace to take stock of the year’s political and economic report.

It is common for the Presidents of the Government to travel to one of the Spanish military missions abroad around these dates to congratulate the troops on the holidays and convey the support of the Government and society for their work. But this trip includes two meetings between Sánchez and the president of Iraq, Abdelatif Rashid, and with the prime minister, Mohamed Shia al Sudani, in which he will address the situation in this country, relations with Spain and the current situation in the East. Close to the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

It is a trip in which there was a lot of interest on the part of the Iraqi Government, as Pedro Sánchez acknowledged in an informal greeting to journalists on board the plane that took him to the capital of Iraq this Wednesday. The meeting was forged during Sánchez’s visit to Cairo on October 21 to participate in the ‘Cairo for Peace’ summit, and in which he held a bilateral meeting with the Iraqi prime minister. That summit was the reason for his first trip to the region after the Hamas terrorist attack on Israeli territory.

Sánchez returned to the area a month later, on November 23, together with the Belgian Prime Minister, to tour Israel, Palestine and Egypt during which he met with their main authorities.

The conflict was also present in some of the conversations that Sánchez had during the climate change summit held in Dubai on December 1.

The issue will be on the table again in Iraq, this Thursday, with the country’s highest authorities. According to Government sources, Spain and Iraq will adopt a joint declaration that will be the roadmap for collaboration in the political, economic, commercial, cultural and educational fields.

Visit to the troops

It will be after his meetings with the president and prime minister of Iraq when Sánchez will visit part of the Spanish troops stationed in this country at the multinational base ‘Union III’.

Spain has a contingent of 362 soldiers deployed in Iraq participating in two missions. One of them is the training, by NATO, of the Iraqi forces and in which 183 Spanish soldiers participate. Spanish Lieutenant General José Agüero Martínez has been in command of that mission since May.

Furthermore, within the framework of the International Coalition against Daesh, Spain participates in Operation ‘Inherent Resolve’ with 179 soldiers.

Economic objectives

Sánchez will conclude his visit to Baghdad with a lunch offered by the Iraqi Prime Minister, with whom he will previously meet with a group of Spanish businessmen. A dozen businessmen traveling from Madrid on the President of the Government’s plane and representing leading companies in sectors of special interest to Iraq such as digitalization technologies, railways, the agricultural sector or public infrastructures.