Putin appoints Timur Biktagirov as Russia’s ambassador to Iraq

BASRA, Iraq — Russian President Vladimir Putin has appointed Timur Biktagirov as ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Iraq, according to a presidential decree published Tuesday on Russia’s official legal documents portal. The decree designates Biktagirov as the Russian Federation’s extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador to Iraq. The appointment coincides with the formal end of the tenure of Russia’s previous ambassador to Baghdad, Elbrus Kutrashev. Speaking in a special statement last Friday, Kutrashev said he would leave Iraq in October and that his visit to Basra was the first stop on a farewell tour of the country. He thanked Iraqi authorities for the hospitality extended during his tenure. Kutrashev, who completed a five-year term, has been visiting several Iraqi cities before his departure. No further details on Biktagirov’s appointment date or arrival in Baghdad were immediately available.