Baghdad, Prime Minister Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani affirmed the Iraqi government’s keenness to maintain relations with the United States.
Al-Sudani pointed out, during his meeting with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, that 10 years have passed since the formation of the international coalition for the war against ISIS, during which the Iraqi people made precious sacrifices.
He said, according to a statement by his media office: ‘Iraq appreciates the efforts of the international community and friends to cooperate with it in confronting terrorism,’ noting: ‘The Iraqi security services today are at a high level of preparedness.’
The Prime Minister stated that work has begun towards a partnership relationship through the Supreme Coordination Committee to assess the military situation and the risks of ISIS, and the capabilities of the security services to reach proposals regarding a timetable for ending the coalition’s mission, pointing out: ‘The concerned committee will hold its second meeting next July, fo
r bilateral cooperation in accordance with the Iraqi constitution and the strategic agreement.’
Al-Sudani expressed his confidence in the continuation of the partnership between Iraq and the United States, and stressed Iraq’s interest in obtaining expertise, armament, and experiments, and its keenness on the security partnership.
For his part, Austin expressed his appreciation for the ongoing partnership with Iraq, which has grown stronger under al-Sudani’s government, and the United States’ aspiration to establish a sustainable security relationship between the two countries.
The US Secretary of Defense stressed the depth of joint relations, including security cooperation and the desire for dialogue towards a strategic relationship within the framework of the agreement between the two countries, explaining: ‘Part of the transitional work took place with the agreement on joint security cooperation in August of last year, which led to the Supreme Security Committee”.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency