France and Iraq have signed a treaty aimed at strengthening bilateral relations in the areas of anti-corruption, security, renewable energy and culture, the Elysee Palace said on Friday.
Macron and Shia al-Sudani “reaffirmed their commitment to carry out primary infrastructure projects based on French knowledge,” he said.
On the energy transition factor, the two leaders committed to the implementation of TotalEnergies’ allocation on solar energy and gas investments.
Earlier this week, it was revealed that Qatar is in talks to get some of French oil company TotalEnergies’ $27 billion energy projects in Iraq, as Baghdad hopes to curb efforts through Western power corporations to leave the country.
When Total Energies and Baghdad signed an agreement in 2021 to build 4 solar, gas, electric and hydroelectric projects in southern Iraq over 25 years, hopes of reversing the exodus were high. Exxon Mobil, Shell and BP have sought to scale back their operations in Iraq in recent years.
(with children)