Readout of the Vice President's Meeting with Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq

March 21, 2017

Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release


The Vice President and Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi of Iraq built upon their productive meeting last month at the Munich Security Conference during a working breakfast at the Vice President's Residence at the Naval Observatory this morning.

The Vice President commended Iraqi Security Forces for their progress in western Mosul and thanked Prime Minister Abadi for the sacrifices of the Iraqi people in our shared fight against ISIS.

The Vice President also thanked the Prime Minister for his leadership in protecting religious and ethnic minorities, including Christians, Yezidis, and others, and urged the Prime Minister to continue efforts to ensure inclusive governance.

The leaders also discussed opportunities to strengthen the bilateral relationship and advance mutual interests, including through closer economic cooperation.

The Vice President emphasized that, as the United States and Iraq align in countering terrorism, neither will allow any country to destabilize Iraq or its democratic institutions.

Both leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the long-term partnership between the United States and Iraq grounded in the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement.

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