Iraq and Azerbaijan stressed the need to expedite the opening of a direct flight line between Baghdad and Baku.

A statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that the Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, met with the Minister of Communications, Transport and Higher Technology, the head of the Azerbaijani side of the Iraqi-Azerbaijani joint committee, Rashad Nabiyev, and reviewed with him the cooperation relations between the two countries in the fields of transport and civil aviation, and discussed ways to enhance and develop them.

Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said: Azerbaijan is important to Iraq due to its geographical proximity and there are religious, cultural and social ties, stressing the need to take advantage of multiple opportunities in various fields, calling on Azerbaijani businessmen and companies to visit Iraq and encourage investment.

The minister stressed the importance of the Development Road, which starts from the far south of Iraq, the port of Al-Faw and extends to Turkey, noting that it is a great opportunity to open important horizons, and an opportunity for Azerbaijan to open up and reach the Arab Gulf region through Iraq, since Iraq has a memorandum of understanding with Iran for railway connectivity through Basra.

The two sides stressed the necessity of opening the direct flight line between Baghdad and Baku, and the second line between Erbil and Baku, as soon as possible, as well as granting entry visas to Iraqi citizens wishing to visit Azerbaijan.

For his part, the Azerbaijani Minister of Transport said: "We are working effectively to find available opportunities between the two countries and encourage investment, indicating that he will lead his country's delegation to visit Baghdad to hold meetings of the joint committee for the third round next October."

Source: National Iraqi News Agency