On June 26th, Special Representative of Ukraine for the Middle East and Africa Maksym Subkh received Chargé d'Affaires of the Republic of Iraq to Ukraine Tarek Adil Kazem.

In the course of the meeting, Maksym Subkh informed the Iraqi diplomat about the efforts of the Ukrainian Defense Forces to counter Russia’s full-scale armed aggression.

The parties also discussed the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East, particularly in the context of the conflict between Israel and Iran, as well as the ongoing Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.

Maksym Subkh expressed deep concern over the escalating security and humanitarian challenges in the region, reaffirming Ukraine’s consistent position on resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the principle of the two-state solution. He emphasized that Ukraine supports international humanitarian initiatives and efforts aimed at ensuring food security in the Middle East. Additionally, the Ukrainian diplomat noted Iran’s destabilizing role, not only in the Middle East, but also in Europe, stressing that there was no alternative to Iran’s further cooperation with relevant international organizations to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Special attention was paid to issues of bilateral cooperation. The parties discussed the need to remove bureaucratic obstacles in the trade and economic sectors as well as to facilitate expansion of Ukrainian pharmaceutical companies’ presence in the Iraqi market.

In conclusion, Maksym Subkh expressed hope for further development and deepening of Ukrainian-Iraqi cooperation in areas of mutual interest.