France, Iraq deepen energy, defence ties as Macron hosts Al-Zaidi in Paris

France and Iraq have called for a “diversification of export routes” for oil and gas in the Middle East in response to the instability generated by the war between the United States and Iran.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi stressed on Monday the importance of “regional interconnections” and export route diversification to “ensure regional energy security” in a joint statement.

Al-Zaidi visited the Elysee Palace on his first trip to Europe since taking office in May and is also expected in Berlin on Tuesday.

The visit comes as the situation in the Middle East continues to deteriorate, with Houthis cementing their hold on the Bab al Mandeb strait on Friday, adding to the crisis of Iran’s effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz and driving oil prices up.

On Monday, French energy giant TotalEnergies signed a memorandum of understanding with Iraq on liquefied natural gas supplies and agreed to discuss further energy projects.

TotalEnergies chief Patrick Pouyanne “affirmed the company’s readiness to cooperate with Iraq in the oil and energy sectors”, noting the company planned to increase its investments in Iraq to $16 billion from $12 billion, during a meeting with Zaidi.