Iraqi Prime Minister Al Sudani in Germany for energy talks
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Hashim Sheikh
- . January 13, 2023
- . Update: January 13, 2023 4:33 pm
The Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, will meet Olaf Scholz, the Chancellor of Germany, in Berlin on Friday to discuss projects in the field of energy.
The Iraqi Prime Minister travelled to Germany on Thursday. He met with senior officials as well as representatives of German companies.
The Iraqi Prime Minister’s office said that the meeting between Scholz and Al Sudani would discuss projects to address chronic power shortages. Iraq reportedly seeks to diversify its sources of gas and electricity supply.
Reportedly, the Iraqi prime minister will be received “with military honours” at the Federal Chancellery, the official seat and residence of the chancellor of Germany.
German government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit said that the two leaders would discuss regional and bilateral issues. Reportedly, the Iraqi minister could sign a memorandum of understanding with German company Siemens Energy for the “rehabilitation and maintenance” of Iraq’s power grid.
Prior to his departure, Al Sudani said that all agreements signed between the two countries would be implemented immediately based on allocated budgets. He said that the agreements aim to upgrade Iraq’s electricity infrastructure.
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In 2019, former Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also travelled to Germany to sign an agreement with Siemens worth up to $14 billion. However, the agreement has not been implemented yet.
Massive protests rocked Iraq from 2019-2020, which disrupted the implementation of the agreement. The conflict between Iran and the United States following the assassination of Iranian Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani also created obstacles for the Iraqi side. Later on, the Covid-19 pandemic affected the implementation of the agreement.
Iraq’s federal budget for 2023 has also been delayed. It is not expected to be finalised soon. Siemens needs the required funds to start the work. Any funding for projects must be included in the national budget and approved by the parliament.
