India and Iraq today agreed to revive bilateral ties and intensify cooperation by moving beyond buyer-seller relation, with Baghdad inviting New Delhi to invest more in the oil-rich Arab country, scarred by years of conflict.
Allaying India's concern on the security situation in the country, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari said "there are many places in the country which are peaceful and stable. We invite Indian companies to invest in such areas, like Southern Iraq".
Addressing a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid after delegation-level talks, Zebari said, "I won't say it is normal situation. In every business, there is an element of risk involved and risk can be manageable also. There are many many opportunities".
He added, "I agree with the Minister that Iraq and India relations should not be of buyer-seller. It should be beyond that".
Noting that India is the largest buyer of Iraqi oil in the world, he said "this need is continually increasing".
"The (Iraqi) government reassured the Indian side that Iraq will meet India's demand (for energy), even in future," the Iraqi Minister added.
Khurshid said that both sides discussed the entire range of issue and avenues of partnership including energy security.
"We just don't want to have relationship for trade. We want to look beyond all sectors," he said.
Khurshid, who is the first External Affairs Minister to visit Iraq in 23 years, said, "It is my highest priority to participate in rebuilding the infrastructure of Iraq. The priority we are giving to Iraq will become more intense and stronger".
The two leaders discussed economy, trade and cooperation in various areas like Information Technology, pharmaceuticals, medicine, infrastructure and security.
Khurshid also called on Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki and handed him a letter of invitation by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to visit India which he accepted.
Iraq has witnessed a bloody war since 2003 when the US-led international troops invaded the country on the ground that the then Saddam Hussein regime had weapons of mass destruction.
Though foreign troops have pulled out, the county has been hit by sectarian and terror violence claiming thousands of lives. In May alone, over 1000 were killed, the bloodiest since 2008.
