When Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki arrives here on Thursday, he will become the first head of government from his country to set foot on Indian soil in 38 years.
Prime Minister Maliki’s three-day visit is expected to see two important agreements being signed between the two sides: one in the energy sector and the other in the field of water management.
The efforts to forge greater bilateral cooperation has picked up steam in recent months with external affairs minister Salman Khurshid having visited Iraq in June. The Joint Commission for Economic and Technical Cooperation which hadn’t met since 2007 too met in July when petroleum minister M.Veerappa Moily travelled to Baghdad. A senior external affairs ministry official said on Wednesday: “There was a little hiatus in our relationship but it was because of reasons beyond our control.” Among the reasons cited were the Iran-Iraq war and the American invasion of Iraq. Mr Maliki, in fact, is expected to seek more Indian investment in reconstruction in his war-ravaged country. New Delhi also sees the visit of Mr Maliki as an extremely important one because there is a new democratic set up in place in Iraq. Mr Maliki himself is said to be extremely keen on bolstering ties with India and forging a close partnership with India.
Iraq has come to occupy an extremely important position in India’s energy pie, having become our second largest supplier of oil after Saudi Arabia. As per current figures, Iraq accounts for 12.5 per cent of India’s total crude imports.
Currently, India is importing around $20 billion worth of crude from Iraq, which has displaced sanctions-hit Iran from its second position.
The Joint Commission in fact has identified the energy sector as an important area of cooperation between the two countries.
Indeed, the two countries are keen to take their relationship forward in the energy sector beyond that of a mere buyer and a seller.
It envisages for India a role in carrying out oil exploration, being part of joint ventures and setting up petrochemical plants and refineries. Iraq, in turn, is seeking help in building roads, infrastructure, telecommunication, among other things.