Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Hakim (R) shakes hands with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Baghdad, Iraq, Jan. 14, 2019. (Xinhua/Khalil Dawood)
BAGHDAD, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Tuesday visited Iraq's capital Baghdad over bilateral relations and cooperation, a Iraqi foreign ministry official said.
Le Drian was received by his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed al-Hakim and is scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and other top officials to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation in political, security and economic arenas, the official told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.
According to media reports, Le Drian will discuss the consequences of U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw U.S. troops from neighboring Syria.
France is part of a U.S.-led international coalition tasked with helping the Iraqi security forces in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) militants by carrying out airstrikes against the IS in Iraq and Syria and providing military equipment and training to Iraqi forces.
