INA - BAGHDAD

PM Muhammed S. Al-Sudani stressed on Tuesday, to the Prime Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Hamza Abdi Barre, the necessity to enhance relations between Iraq and Somalia.

Al-Sudani received Barre, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, said the PM's media office in a statement - received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA.

During the meeting, several international issues of common interest were discussed, as well as ways to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries and consolidate cooperation in various fields, especially economic, security and cultural, "in light of Iraq's adoption of a policy of openness to its Arab and regional surroundings."

The Prime Minister stressed "the necessity of investing all available opportunities to enhance relations between the two brotherly countries, and he also congratulated his Somali counterpart on the occasion of the brotherly State of Somalia occupying a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council, and the role it can play in supporting Arab issues."

The meeting discussed what was agreed upon during Abdi Barre's visit to Baghdad last July, in addition to the outcomes of that visit and its objectives, which focused on strengthening bilateral coordination mechanisms.

They touched on "the current events in Gaza and Lebanon and the Zionist entity's continued perpetration of its brutal crimes against safe civilians and the importance of exerting international efforts at all levels to stop the aggression," highlighted the statement.

In Turn, the Somali Prime Minister expressed his concern about the dire conditions in Lebanon and Palestine and stressed "support for the Iraqi initiative announced to hold an Arab and Islamic conference to discuss the repercussions of the aggression on Lebanon and the need to take a unified position to curb the ongoing attacks of the occupying entity."