Iraq’s Minister of Defense Thabet Mohamed Saeed El Abbasi arrived in the French Republic on Tuesday, April 29, 2025, for an official visit lasting several days, accompanied by a delegation of Senior Commanders and Officers from the Ministry of Defense.

During the visit, the Minister met with his French counterpart, Mr. Sébastien Lecornu, at the headquarters of the French Ministry of Defense. During the meeting, several topics were discussed, most notably the regional security situation and the role of the international coalition in Iraq.

The NATO mission in Iraq was also discussed, especially since the French Republic will assume the leadership of the NATO mission in Iraq starting this month.

Bilateral relations between the two countries, particularly those related to the security aspect, were also discussed, the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The two sides also reviewed the details of the contract concluded between the Iraqi and French Ministries of Defense to equip the Iraqi Army Aviation Command with a number of Caracal aircraft, in addition to following up on the implementation of the contract to equip the Iraqi Air Defense Command with air defense radars.

Meantime, Iraq has taken delivery of an initial pair of Airbus Helicopters H225M Caracals dating from a September 2024 order for a dozen units of the heavy-twin.

The first two helicopters were received by Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Al-Abbasi on 30 April at the Airbus headquarters in Marignane, southern France, news agencies reported.

To be operated by the Iraqi Army Aviation Command, the 11t-class H225Ms will replace older Mil Mi-17s and will be used for a wide range of missions including counter-terrorism, special operations, tactical troop transport, attack, and fire support.

An unspecified number of the Iraqi Caracals will be equipped with Airbus Helicopters’ HForce modular weapons system. (Iraqi Ministry of Defense; Agencies; Photo © Iraqi Ministry of Defense)