BAGDAD/BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - After months of power struggles in Iraq, its new Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is traveling to Berlin for his inaugural visit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). The new head of government is under pressure to lead his country out of a severe political and economic crisis after years of war against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia. Al-Sudani will also meet German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier before being received by Chancellor Scholz on Friday with military honors.

One topic of the talks is Iraq's notoriously poor electricity supply. According to information from Baghdad, a memorandum of understanding is to be signed during the visit to improve power generation in the country with the help of the Munich-based Siemens Group. The constant power outages, along with the poor economic situation and rampant corruption, are one of the reasons for the mass protests that have rocked Iraq in several waves since 2019.

Up to 500 German soldiers are deployed in Iraq to support the fight against IS with transport tasks and aerial refueling. The Bundestag had extended the mandate for the mission by one year in October. The IS controlled large areas of Iraq and Syria just a few years ago. The terrorists have since been defeated there militarily, but they are still active and carry out attacks./jot/DP/men