Sergei Lavrov arrived on an official visit to Iraq on October 7th, where he met Mohamed Ali Alhakim, the Iraqi’s Foreign Minister. This visit was held in the aftermath of large scale protests in Iraq that left many casualties. The two Foreign Ministers discussed the economic ties between both countries as well as the regional situation and in particular the war in Syria. They reiterated their commitment to a “united Syria” and its readmission into the Arab League. Lavrov reaffirmed “the importance of initiatives that ensure the security and stability of the Gulf and freedom of navigation”. He highlighted that “they discussed ways to enhance the economic and trade relationship between both countries. The Russian delegation included a number of representatives from oil and energy investment companies”. Alhakim stressed that “efforts to fight terrorists in Syria” had been also tackled.