Croatian PM to visit Baghdad with business delegation
Shafaq News/ Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein met with Croatian Foreign and European Affairs Minister Gordan Grlić Radman on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum (ADF 2025), the Iraqi Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.
Both sides discussed strengthening bilateral ties, with a focus on economic cooperation, energy, oil, security and defense issues of mutual interest.
Hussein welcomed the upcoming visit of a Croatian government and business delegation, led by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, to Baghdad, describing it as an opportunity to broaden investment and trade collaboration.
Iraq aims to translate its relationship with Croatia into practical cooperation across key sectors, particularly energy and investment, the Iraqi FM affirmed.
He also received a formal invitation from his Croatian counterpart to attend the Energy and Security Conference scheduled for July in Zagreb.
For his part, Radman noted the planned October 2025 visit by Croatia's prime minister to Iraq, describing it as a step toward deepening the strategic partnership across multiple sectors.
Earlier today, the Kurdish President Nechirvan Barzani arrived in Turkiye to attend the forum.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Israeli forces pull back after crossing into southern Lebanon
Shafaq News/ An Israeli military unit withdrew on Wednesday morning after briefly crossing into the southern Lebanese village of Blida, according to local media reports. The incursion began when Israeli bulldozers breached the Blue Line— a 120-kilometer boundary set by the UN in 2000 following Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon—and entered the town. Unauthorized crossings by either side constitute a violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The bulldozers reportedly began digging a large trench, prompting a state of alert among nearby Lebanese units. They later retreated from the area without reported clashes. In a separate overnight incident, another Israeli unit—accompanied by two armored vehicles and a military bulldozer—breached the technical fence east of Meiss El Jabal village, southern Lebanon, and advanced briefly before pulling back. The developments come amid ongoing Israeli aerial attacks across the country. A drone strike on Tuesday killed two people and wounded a third in Shebaa town, southeastern Lebanon. In recent days, Israel has also conducted air raids on Beirut 's southern suburbs—an area considered a Hezbollah stronghold—drawing condemnation from Lebanese officials, who labeled the strikes a serious breach of the existing ceasefire and warned of the growing risk of broader confrontation.
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Russian drone assault on Kharkiv: 50+ casualties as Ukraine fends off attack
Shafaq News/ A Russian drone attack on Kharkiv overnight resulted in over 50 casualties, as Ukraine's military repelled one of the largest coordinated aerial assaults in weeks. Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reported that the nine-minute attack, involving 17 drones, killed at least two people and wounded 54 others—including five children. 'There are direct hits on multi-storey buildings, private homes, playgrounds, enterprises, and public transport,' Terekhov wrote on Telegram. 'Apartments are burning, roofs are destroyed, cars are burnt, windows are broken.' The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine later confirmed that Tuesday's attacks were part of a wave of 220 combat engagements in 24 hours, with Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Odesa regions bearing the brunt. Ukrainian forces reported that 1,120 Russian casualties occurred, and dozens of assets were destroyed or damaged, including tanks, armored vehicles, artillery systems, drones, and missiles. The attack came after Russia's two largest assaults on Ukraine this week, part of intensified bombardments that Moscow claimed were retaliatory for Kyiv's recent strikes in Russia. Both sides deny targeting civilians in the conflict, which Russia began in February 2022. However, thousands of civilians have been killed, the majority of them Ukrainian.
Shafaq News
3 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Oil prices soften as markets assess US-China trade talks outcome
Shafaq News/ Oil prices softened in Asian trade on Wednesday as markets assessed the outcome of U.S.-China trade talks, yet to be reviewed by President Donald Trump, with weak oil demand from China and OPEC+ production increases weighing on the market. Brent crude futures declined 19 cents, or 0.3%, to trade at $66.680 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude fell 16 cents, or 0.3%, to $64.82 at 0318 GMT. U.S. and Chinese officials agreed on a framework to put their trade truce back on track and resolve China's export restrictions on rare earth minerals and magnets, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Tuesday at the conclusion of two days of intense negotiations in London. "The current (price) corrections can be attributed to a mix of technical profit-taking and caution leading up to the US-China (official) announcement," said Phillip Nova, senior market analyst Priyanka Sachdeva. Trump will be briefed on the outcome before approving it, Lutnick added. "In terms of what it means for crude oil, I think it removes some downside risks, particularly to the Chinese economy and steadies the ship for the U.S. economy - both of which should be supportive for crude oil demand and the price," said Tony Sycamore, a market analyst for IG. Meanwhile, on the supply side, OPEC+ plans to increase oil production by 411,000 barrels per day for July as it looks to unwind production cuts for a fourth straight month, with some analysts not expecting regional demand to soak up these excess barrels. "Greater oil demand within OPEC+ economies – most notably Saudi Arabia – could offset additional supply from the group over the coming months and support oil prices," said Capital Economics' climate and commodities economist Hamad Hussain in a note. "However, given that any boost to demand will be seasonal, we still think that Brent crude prices will fall to $60pb by the end of this year." Later on Wednesday, markets will be focusing on the weekly U.S. oil inventories report from the Energy Information Administration, the statistical arm of the U.S. Department of Energy. Crude stocks fell by 370,000 barrels last week, according to market sources who cited American Petroleum Institute figures on Tuesday. Analysts polled by Reuters on Monday expected that U.S. crude oil stockpiles fell by 2 million barrels in the week to June 6, while distillate and gasoline inventories likely rose.
