LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer met his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed Shia Al Sudani on Tuesday for talks on trade, security and migration, in a visit hailed as a “new era” in ties.

The Iraqi prime minister’s trip to London, during which he will also meet King Charles III, comes more than 20 years after Britain took part in the US-led invasion of Iraq.

A “strategic partnership” to be signed during the trip would consolidate cooperation and be “one of the most important steps in relations between Iraq and the United Kingdom, representing the start of a new era”, Sudani said during the flight from Baghdad.

The three-day visit comes amid a complicated situation in the Middle East fuelled by the Gaza conflict, as well as a fragile ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah.

Donald Trump will also move back into the White House next week, with observers expecting he will resume his hardline stance towards Iran.

Oil-rich Iraq, which is an ally of Iran as well as a strategic partner for Washington, has for decades practised a delicate balancing act, while also seeking to deepen its ties to wealthy Gulf countries.

Sudani first met the UK’s head of state King Charles, before meeting Starmer at Downing Street.

The leaders will unveil a $15 billion export package to boost opportunities for British businesses, it added.

Starmer said the trip “marks a new era in UK-Iraq cooperation, which will deliver mutual benefits from trade to defence, as we continue to work together towards stability in the wider region”.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2025