On 17 April, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba arrived in Iraq on a visit. This is the first visit of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister to Iraq since 2012.

Dmytro Kuleba's visit takes place in the context of implementing the agreements reached during a telephone conversation between President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammad Shia Al Sudani on 10 April.

The head of Ukrainian diplomacy held talks in Baghdad with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Iraq Fuad Hussein.

"Ukraine and Iraq have a long history of friendship and mutual respect. Back in the day, Ukrainian servicemen helped to normalise the situation on Iraqi territory. Today, the Iraqi government supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity against the backdrop of a full-scale russian invasion. Last week's telephone conversation between the leaders of our countries gave a significant impetus to the intensification of bilateral political dialogue. And today I have arrived in Baghdad to open the door to new opportunities in bilateral relations between Ukraine and Iraq, to fill our relations with new practical content," said Dmytro Kuleba.

The Minister told his Iraqi counterpart about the efforts of the Ukrainian defence forces to repel russian aggression and liberate the occupied territories.

He paid special attention to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Peace Formula to establish a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.

The Foreign Ministers also discussed the export of Ukrainian grain.

The ministers agreed to hold consultations at the level of a number of ministries of Ukraine and Iraq in the near future to intensify cooperation in the areas of trade, education and digitalisation.

The interlocutors also agreed to hold political consultations of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, as well as the fifth meeting of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation. The previous meeting of the commission took place in 2012.

Dmytro Kuleba invited Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Iraq Fuad Hussein to pay a visit to Ukraine.