Iraqi Foreign Minister arrives in London

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Foreign Minister of Iraq Fuad Hussein on Monday arrived in London, according to a readout from the Iraqi News Agency.

Hussein, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, is expected to stay in London for two days and hold several meetings.

The ultimate objective of the Foreign Minister’s visit is to strengthen bilateral ties with the United Kingdom.

“He will meet with his British counterpart James Cleverly, Minister of Defense Ben Wallace, Minister of State for Immigration Affairs Robert Jenrick, and Minister of State for Security Affairs in the British Ministry of the Interior Tom Tugendhat, in addition to meetings with the Chair of the Foreign Relations Committee in the British Parliament,” the statement read. In addition, Hussein will meet with Defense Committee Chairman Alicia Cairns and All-Party Parliamentary Groups Chairman Tobias Ellwood.

Moreover, the Minister plans to hold meetings with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, a number of businessmen from the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce symposium, and the Executive Director of the British BT Company.

Britain shares close economic, political, and cultural ties with both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, as UK diplomats have highlighted on several occasions.

As a notable member of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS – Daesh, the Arabic acronym – the UK has supported the Kurdish and Iraqi forces in their fight against the terror group, whose reign in the country has resulted in millions of internally displaced people and a substantial amount of casualties.

Stephen Charles Hitchen has recently been appointed as the country's new envoy to Iraq, replacing the outgoing ambassador, Mark Bryson-Richardson.