Al-Zaidi at the White House in mid-July… Iraq and America reaffirm strategic partnership

Iraq and the United States affirmed on Tuesday their commitment to strengthening a “strong and mutually beneficial” strategic partnership that includes security, energy, and investment, as well as supporting political and economic stability in the country.

This came in a joint statement issued today by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi and US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Tom Barrack, as reported by Shafaq News Agency.

According to the statement, Al-Zaidi and Barak reaffirmed the shared commitment of the Iraqi and US governments to establishing a strong and mutually beneficial US-Iraqi partnership capable of fulfilling the aspirations of Iraqis for a future of sovereignty, security and prosperity, and providing tangible benefits to the Iraqi and American people.

Barak conveyed President Trump’s desire to receive the Prime Minister at the White House in mid-July to discuss the future of this relationship.

According to the statement, the two sides discussed the Iraqi government’s shared and ambitious vision for building a brighter future free from terrorism, and implementing Iraqi plans aimed at the complete disarmament and disbanding of all armed groups and formations operating outside the authority and control of the Iraqi state, confining weapons to the state, and imposing full sovereignty, in order to ensure that Iraq is kept away from conflicts and that its territory is not used by any party to threaten regional peace, while emphasizing the urgent need to fully accomplish these efforts.

The Prime Minister reiterated Iraq’s commitment to deepening trade and investment relations between the two countries, which Barak welcomed as a shared approach. Both sides also commended Iraq’s decision to finalize the granting of the operating license to Starlink to provide world-class internet services to Iraqi consumers, launch negotiations with Chevron to develop the West Qurna-2 and Nasiriyah oil fields, enable American companies HKN, Western Zagros and Hunt to resume their operations with full security guarantees, move forward with the memorandum of understanding with TI Capital to rehabilitate the Kirkuk-Banias pipeline as a vital oil export route, and commit to expanding trade cooperation between the United States and Iraq to support Iraq’s electricity needs, including Excelerate Energy’s project to develop a floating liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal in Khor Al-Zubair.

Both sides also stressed the importance of supporting a strong, united, sovereign, federal, democratic Iraq based on well-established constitutional institutions, and ensuring full equality for all citizens, thereby enhancing Iraq’s unity, stability, and prosperity.

Shafaq.com