Russia – Iraq: Telephone Conversation Between Putin and Al-Sudani
Focus on bilateral relations, BRICS, OPEC+, and regional conflicts
The development of bilateral political and economic relations between Iraq and the Russian Federation, ways to ease regional tensions, Iraq’s entry into the BRICS group of countries, and closer cooperation between Russia and Iraq within the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) – these issues were the focus of a long telephone conversation between Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
According to a press release issued by the Iraqi Prime Minister’s Office, “the two leaders emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation to meet mutual interests.” The phone call also touched on the topic of military armed conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, as well as between Israel, Palestine, and Lebanon. Putin and Al-Sudani appealed “to the main international players to intensify efforts to end conflicts and ensure global stability.”
As Kremlin sources noted, one of the central topics of the conversation was energy. Al-Sudani and Putin discussed the importance of cooperation among OPEC+ member countries to “stabilize oil and gas prices on world markets, ensuring a balance between supply and demand that meets the needs of exporters and consumers.”
Iraq’s oil production totaled 4.14 million barrels per day in October, down from September’s level but still above the OPEC+ members’ ceiling of 3.905 million barrels per day. As a result, Iraqi oil exports also declined for the second consecutive month. Data from the Iraqi Gulf Terminals agency showed that Iraq, OPEC’s second-largest oil producer, supplied 3.24 million barrels of oil per day in October, mainly to China and India, marking a 3.28% month-on-month decline. According to the Platts OPEC+ report, in October, 41%, or 1.34 million barrels per day, of Iraq’s crude oil exports traveled by sea and were shipped to China, which purchased 34.03 million barrels of “medium” crude oil and 7.7 million barrels of “heavy” crude oil exported from Iraq.
