22 June 2009….
Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry stated that Foreign Minister, Ahmed Aboul Gheit received on June 22nd, 2009, Speaker of Iraqi Council of Representatives, Mr. Iyad Al-Samarrai, who is currently on a visit to Cairo. Mr. Al-Samarrai is heading a delegation of Representatives who represent various blocks and main political parties’ members of the council.
The meeting tackled means to support bilateral relations between both Egypt and Iraq, outlined the Spokesman. He added that Mr. Al-Samarrai and his delegation praised Egypt’s reopening its Embassy in Baghdad and affirmed the importance of making use of the parliamentary relations to develop it as to consolidate official Egyptian-Iraqi relations. Aboul Gheit was keen on asserting that the current phase that Iraq facing still encompasses several difficulties and that Iraq needs the support of the Arab region to surpass the current problems, pointed out the Spokesman. In this regard, the Minister affirmed that Egypt is ready to support Iraq in order to overcome such phase.
The Spokesman said that the Iraqi Council of Representatives Speaker asserted the importance of consolidating the Arab-Iraqi relations, particularly strengthening economic and commercial Egyptian-Iraqi relations, and urged Egyptian companies to invest in Iraq. Aboul Gheit welcomed the aspirations and comments of the Iraqi delegation members and affirmed Egypt’s continuous endeavor to consolidate relations with Iraq and resume the training programmes to Iraq cadres, added the Spokesman.