Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani will visit Moscow in the next few weeks, according to an Iraqi foreign ministry statement.
Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein made the comments after a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed the prospects of joint co-operation and relations between the two countries.
"The Iraqi side is working on completing necessary preparations for a visit by Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al Sudani to the capital Moscow during the coming weeks," Mr Hussein said.
He emphasised that talks between the two sides are an appropriate opportunity to discuss co-operation between the countries in the political and economic fields.
He also said it was possible that a meeting of the joint Iraqi-Russian committee could be held alongside the visit.
Mr Lavrov, for his part, emphasised his country's keenness to develop the relations with Iraq, saying that he looks forward to Mr Al Sudani's visit to Moscow in the coming weeks.
Iraq and Russia have had bilateral relations for decades.
Co-operation between Baghdad and Moscow is primarily in the fields of energy, military and security.
Baghdad hosted Mr Lavrov in February, when he led a delegation for representatives of Russian companies.
Both sides had then discussed food security and ways for Baghdad to handle payments to Russia in light of global sanctions imposed on Moscow after Russia attacked Ukraine.
Major Russian oil companies such as Gazprom Neft and Lukoil are among those working in Iraq, mainly in the oil-rich south.
In his visit earlier this year, Mr Lavrov had said Russian companies had “huge investments in Iraq that have reached $13 billion".
Iraq is the second-largest producer of crude oil in Opec after Saudi Arabia.
The US and EU have not yet imposed sanctions on Russia’s oil sector as part of the punitive measures designed to hurt its economy and financial system.
Baghdad is also co-ordinating with Moscow in the fight against ISIS.
In 2014, Iraq, Russia, Iran and Syria set up a security co-ordination committee a few months after the US established an international coalition in the war against the extremist group.
When the UN General Assembly adopted a US-led resolution to condemn Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Iraq abstained, along with China, Iran, India, Pakistan, Armenia and 16 African countries.
The resolution was adopted with the support of 141 countries out of 193.
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Fifth Test: Australia won by an innings and 123 runs
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The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
The Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index
Mazen Abukhater, principal and actuary at global consultancy Mercer, Middle East, says the company’s Melbourne Mercer Global Pension Index - which benchmarks 34 pension schemes across the globe to assess their adequacy, sustainability and integrity - included Saudi Arabia for the first time this year to offer a glimpse into the region.
The index highlighted fundamental issues for all 34 countries, such as a rapid ageing population and a low growth / low interest environment putting pressure on expected returns. It also highlighted the increasing popularity around the world of defined contribution schemes.
“Average life expectancy has been increasing by about three years every 10 years. Someone born in 1947 is expected to live until 85 whereas someone born in 2007 is expected to live to 103,” Mr Abukhater told the Mena Pensions Conference.
“Are our systems equipped to handle these kind of life expectancies in the future? If so many people retire at 60, they are going to be in retirement for 43 years – so we need to adapt our retirement age to our changing life expectancy.”
Saudi Arabia came in the middle of Mercer’s ranking with a score of 58.9. The report said the country's index could be raised by improving the minimum level of support for the poorest aged individuals and increasing the labour force participation rate at older ages as life expectancies rise.
Mr Abukhater said the challenges of an ageing population, increased life expectancy and some individuals relying solely on their government for financial support in their retirement years will put the system under strain.
“To relieve that pressure, governments need to consider whether it is time to switch to a defined contribution scheme so that individuals can supplement their own future with the help of government support,” he said.
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
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