(Hina) - The Croatian First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Vesna Pusić, met with Iraqi Oil Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi in Baghdad on Sunday afternoon for talks on strengthening bilateral relations and informed him of Croatia's priority projects.
During the meeting Minister Pusic said that about 30 Croatian companies were interested in or were already working with Iraqi partners.
Minister Mahdi said that Iraq has the third largest oil reserves and 11th largest gas reserves in the world, adding that the crisis in the region had also affected the Iraqi energy sector. "Your visit is very important and we are confident that it will result in stronger economic relations because there are possibilities for that," Minister Mahdi said.
The Croatian minister continues her official visit on Monday with meetings with Interior Minister Mohammed Salim al-Ghabban, Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi, Minister for Women's Affairs Bayan Nouri and President Fuad Masum. She is also scheduled to visit Erbil to meet with regional Kurdish government officials.