Iraqi foreign minister: USA is a strong ally for Iraq

Shafaq news/ The second round of the Iraqi-American strategic dialogue began in Washington on Wednesday. 

In a statement received by Shafaq News agency, the spokesman for the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, Ahmed Al-Sahaf, announced that "Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and his American counterpart Pompeo opened the Iraqi-American strategic dialogue session."

Later, The US. Secretary Mike Pompeo holds joint press availability with Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein.

Pompeo said, "We urged Baghdad to solve the problems with the Kurdistan Region and release its budget, and we promised to aid Iraq with $ 200 million."

He added, “Our partnership with Iraq is very strong but armed groups limit our ability to act, these Militias threaten stability,” adding that, “freedom in Iraq is the priority of the Trump administration."

Pompeo said, "We are committed to supporting Iraq and preventing foreign interference in its affairs, and the strategic dialogue should not focus on the issue of the withdrawal of our forces from Iraq."

For his part, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said, "Washington is a strong ally of Iraq and and Iran is a neighboring country,” adding that, “our policy is based on the Iraqi interest, and and we reject any foreign interference in our affairs."

"the meeting with Pompeo was a good, and we discussed economic relations and Covid-19 pandemic,"

Hussein added, "America and Iraq were in one place to fight ISIS," stressing "the continuity of cooperation in the field of combating terrorism."

Hussein added, “the continuity of dialogue to reach joint action in other areas related to energy production is necessary," noting that "a memorandum of understanding will be signed today with USA to cooperate in the electricity, oil and higher education fields.”

The Iraqi Foreign Minister indicated that "the dialogue is continuing and will have positive results for the benefit of the two countries and peoples."

Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi arrived on Wednesday, August 18, in Washington, DC, at the head of a high-ranking ministerial delegation.