Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the Elysee presidential palace on Monday in Paris, for al-Zaidi's first visit to Europe since taking office.
The two leaders met for a work lunch and presided over the signing of a series of agreements aimed at deepening cooperation in the fields of defence, energy, transport and infrastructure.
The meeting was also aimed at addressing pressure on the energy market due to instability in West Asia, as well as renewing France and Iraq's commitment to preventing an Islamic State resurgence, the French presidency said in a statement.