INA publishes a summary of Iraq and France Strategic Partnership Agreement

 
Baghdad-INA
 
The Iraqi News Agency (INA) publishes a summary of the most prominent contents of the Strategic Partnership Agreement between Iraq and France.
 
"The most prominent contents of the Strategic Partnership Agreement signed by the Iraqi and French governments during the visit of Prime Minister Muhammad S. al-Sudani to France consists of four chapters, six sections, 50 articles, 64 paragraphs," noting that "This is the first agreement of its kind after 2003, and it is the most comprehensive agreement between the two countries since 1968, and this is the first time that Macron has signed an agreement inside the Élysée Palace," A government source told the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

He added, "The agreement included cooperation between the two countries in the field of sharing experience, strengthening Iraq's capabilities, enabling it to achieve a peaceful democratic transition, enhancing transparency within state institutions, and combating corruption in all its forms in a concrete manner.”

"The agreement included strengthening cooperation in the field of environmental protection and combating global warming in line with the objectives of the Paris Agreement, and also cooperation for sustainable development through the use of environmentally friendly natural resources, forming bilateral committees in the areas of defense and security, following up the implementation of annual plans for bilateral defense cooperation, strengthening the Iraqi military defense capabilities by developing the necessary skills, facilitating the supply of French-made military equipment, in addition to activating the exchange of information and military intelligence in a way that does not prejudice the national interest of both countries,” the source added.

He pointed out that "the agreement also included combating transnational organized crime, combating drug and human trafficking, combating economic and financial crime, following up on minors returning from terrorist areas, and combating extremism in prisons in both countries, as well as pursuing issues of combating unregulated migration, as well as economic and trade cooperation and its use to serve capacity-building and create a supportive and enabling environment for sustainable economic development, through the implementation of specific projects in all fields of the economy: agriculture, industry, energy, water, transport, environment, tourism, telecommunications, infrastructure, anti-corruption, banking sector reform and customs, and providing French support through providing technical assistance from French Development Agency”.

He stated that "the agreement included encouraging the investments of French companies and good governance in managing natural resources, especially water, developing renewable energies and raising the generating capacities of electric power stations, improving the management and maintenance of the transmission and distribution network to reduce losses, developing generation projects and building new power stations, working on the implementation of gas investment projects associated with electricity production, implementing new projects in the potable water and sanitation sector, developing existing projects, strengthening the capabilities of cadres, transferring innovative technologies in the water treatment sector, urging the development of partnerships between the public and private sectors, encouraging cooperation with French companies specialized in water desalination and implementing water treatment projects, and improving public transportation programs in cities to contribute to mitigating harmful emissions by implementing appropriate projects like the suspended Baghdad metro project."
 
He indicated that "the two countries are working to promote the emergence of an environment conducive to partnerships between French and Iraqi companies in order to modernize the public and private sectors of industry, and encourage the development of the private sector by supporting Iraqi small and medium-sized projects in all sectors, in addition to facilitating travel procedures between the two countries to enhance commercial, economic, practical and tourism cooperation, the two countries continue an active and specialized dialogue in the field of agriculture and livestock breeding to promote sustainable use of agricultural lands in Iraq, encouraging the development of agricultural industries and creating job opportunities in them, diversifying agricultural production, rationalizing the use of water, applying modern irrigation methods, and raising livestock in order to enhance food security in Iraq, providing French expertise in the field of building and modernizing dams, and supporting the development of the pharmaceutical industry in Iraq through cooperation with Major French companies in this sector, and cooperation in the hospital construction sector."

He pointed out that "the agreement included partnership in the field of science, research and culture through the development of Iraqi universities, including the training of research professors, the development of teaching methods, support for digital transformation, and cooperation in the field of school education, exchange of experiences and educational programs, and support for innovative educational methods, scholarship programs for Iraqi students , and encouraging exchange programs for students, professors, and researchers between the two countries, cooperating in the field of culture, media, tourism and antiquities, and strengthening Iraq's efforts and participation in international initiatives to protect Iraqi cultural heritage, protect its archaeological sites, modernize Iraqi museums and help Iraq recover its looted antiquities, and work to rehabilitate archaeological sites destroyed by terrorist organizations in cooperation, for example, with UNESCO, and the Global Coalition for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas, enhancing Iraqi professionals' heritage skills and promoting the exchange of professional experiences between the French and Iraqi media for the written press, television and radio, and supporting creativity in the fields of cinema, theatre, music and literature, through the participation of creative iraqis in French cultural events such as the Cannes Festival and the Avignon Festival, providing political support for opening an Iraqi cultural center in Paris and supporting exchanges in the fields of youth and sports through participation in various sports activities, ensuring the involvement of youth in the exchange of experience in the field of sports, and working to facilitate the issuance of tourist entry visas for the nationals of the two countries.”
 
 
He explained that "Iraq and France are aware of the common interests that bring them together in facing the dangers of terrorist threats and combating extremism, which requires strengthening their cooperation in the fields of defense, security and combating terrorism, and as a result they sought to conclude a memorandum of understanding on the exchange of information and a memorandum of understanding on bilateral military cooperation to ensure a legal status for military and civilian personnel ".