Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam was in Baghdad on Sunday for an official visit, seeking more economic co-operation with Iraq as both countries contend with the regional conflict.
Mr Salam said Lebanon was “steadfast in its resolve” to establish closer links with its neighbours in energy and transport. “Lebanon aspires to be an active partner with Iraq in shaping these regional projects,” he said.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi said the two men discussed “ways to strengthen bilateral relations in various economic, political, and security fields”.
Mr Salam was leading a high-level ministerial delegation in the country for talks focused on energy supplies, economic partnership and regional stability.
Energy was a prime focus of Mr Al Zaidi's meeting with Mr Salam on bilateral relations, Iraqi government spokesman Haider Al Aboudi said.
A guaranteed supply of fuel for Lebanon's power plants was expected to be high on Mr Salam's agenda. Since July 2021, Iraq has supplied Lebanon with high-sulphur fuel oil in exchange for services, providing a lifeline for a country facing power cuts.
An Iraqi government official told The National that discussions during the Lebanese Prime Minister's visit would also cover the possibility of extending an oil pipeline to Lebanon from the one planned to transport Iraqi crude oil to international markets through Syria.
Regional and international issues were also to be discussed. Lebanon is partly under an Israeli occupation, while Iraq has been caught in the crossfire of the regional war due to the presence of US troops and pro-Iran factions.
For Baghdad, deepening ties with Beirut serves two purposes. It provides a neighbour in need with energy support, while also exploring new outlets for Iraqi crude.
Iraq has been pushing to diversify its export routes beyond the Gulf and Turkey, and a Mediterranean route via Syria and Lebanon has re-emerged in discussions. For Beirut, the visit is about securing fuel to keep the lights on amid one of the world’s worst economic crisesand settling outstanding payments from previous fuel agreements.
The Iraqi charge d'affaires in Beirut, Mohammed Redha Al Husseini, met the Lebanese Finance Minister Yassin Jaber this month and reaffirmed Iraq's “unwavering support” for Lebanon.
Mr Jaber indicated that the funds for outstanding payments to Iraq for fuel supplies were available and expressed his ministry's readiness to finalise the necessary procedures.
Mr Salam's visit underscores how energy has become the central pillar of Iraq-Lebanon relations, linking Lebanon’s immediate need for electricity with Iraq’s longer-term goals of new export corridors and regional economic integration.
