Overview
- President Asif Ali Zardari received a guard of honour in Baghdad and held one-on-one and delegation-level talks with President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, followed by a meeting with Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani.
- Both sides vowed to intensify joint efforts against extremism, terrorism and narcotics trafficking and reaffirmed plans to deepen ties across political, economic and social domains.
- Zardari highlighted opportunities in trade, investment, agriculture, defence production, IT, construction and pharmaceuticals, stressing direct banking channels and reciprocal business delegations to unlock commerce.
- Pakistan offered skilled and semi-skilled manpower for Iraq’s reconstruction under an existing transmission framework and proposed early finalisation of an MoU on Zaireen Management to improve pilgrim facilitation, alongside steps to curb illegal entry and overstay.
- The leaders agreed to maintain close coordination at the UN and OIC, as Zardari also conveyed a goodwill message to Iran when his aircraft entered Iranian airspace during the journey to Iraq.