Nouri Al- Maliki invites Manmohan Singh to visit Iraq

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al- Maliki has invited his Indian counterpart Dr. Manmohan Singh to visit Iraq at a mutually convenient time.

Expressing his happiness to visit India, Prime Minister Maliki thanked Dr. Singh for the warm and gracious hospitality extended to him and the members of his delegation during their stay.

"He invited Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to visit Iraq at a mutually convenient time. Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh gladly accepted the invitation," said a joint statement issued after the talks between Dr. Singh and Prime Minister Maliki.

"The dates of the visit will be worked out through diplomatic channels," the joint statement adds.

This is the first Head of Government-level visit between the two countries since 1975 when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi visited Iraq.

India and Iraq enjoy time-tested, warm and friendly ties, growing cooperation in different fields, including hydrocarbons, agriculture and food security, water resource management, education, infrastructure development, pharmaceuticals and medicare, and information technology.

Iraq has emerged as India's second largest crude oil supplier with bilateral trade in excess of USD 21 billion in 2012-13.