NNA - France's Foreign Minister said on Wednesday that Iraq should not be pulled into conflicts in a turbulent Middle East during his first visit to the country, which has suffered from decades of instability.

Jean-Noel Barrot will also visit Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as part of a regional tour to push for a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. 

"It is essential for Iraq not to be drawn into conflicts it did not choose," Barrot said in a joint conference with his counterpart Fuad Hussein.

He praised the Iraqi government's efforts to "preserve the stability of the country."

"We are convinced that a strong and independent Iraq is a source of stability for the entire region, which is threatened today by the conflict that started on October 7, and Iran's destabilising activities," Barrot said.

Barrot will meet Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in Baghdad before heading to the autonomous Kurdistan region in northern Iraq to meet with Kurdish leaders.

Iraq and France have been strengthening their bilateral relations in several sectors, including energy and security. -- AFP

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