Baghdad, Jan 27 (IANS): Iraq and France have inked a strategic partnership agreement to enhance bilateral cooperation in various areas including energy and security, according to Iraqi officials.

The agreement was signed during Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani's one-day visit to Paris, after he met with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and talked with President Emmanuel Macron, al-Sudani's media office tweeted, Xinhua News Agency reported.

During talks with Macron, the two leaders discussed bilateral ties, regional and international issues of common concern, and joint cooperation in vital sectors, said the media office's press release.

The agreement covers cooperation in such areas as combating terrorism and extremism, cultural exchange, crisis management, combating economic and organised crime, protecting the environment and promoting human rights, which, al-Sudani tweeted on Thursday, "lays down a road map for expanding our two countries' cooperation in various fields."

The past years have witnessed deepened bilateral exchanges. Macron has visited Iraq twice, one in 2020 and another in 2021. France-headquartered oil producer TotalEnergies signed a deal with the Iraqi government in 2021, agreeing to invest in oil, gas and renewables projects in southern Iraq over 25 years.