Barham Salih, the President of Iraq, was received by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace in London on Thursday.

He was pictured shaking the hand of the Queen, along with his wife, Sarbagh Salih, during a private audience.

During his official three-day trip to London, Mr Salih was set to attend an oil investment forum and met Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, he spoke to an audience at the Chatham House think tank, where he said Iraq would not allow factions within his country to fight for any external agenda.

“There is a storm sweeping across the Middle East. We are right in the middle of it,” he said.

“We certainly don’t want to be embroiled in another war, another conflict on our territory. We haven’t finished the last war. The war against terror has yet to be accomplished.”

Mr Salih's programme also included a dinner at Lancaster House hosted by the secretaries of state for international development and international trade and engagements.

He has been accompanied by Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Al Hakim and Health Minister Aladin Alwan.