Al-Sudani: Iran has supported the people of Iraq against terrorists

According to the Iraqi media, “Mohammed Shia al-Sudani” while attending one of the programs of the “Al-Rafdin Dialogue Conference” held in Baghdad, answered a question about ” Every prime minister and official who came to Iraq knew that he must first adjust the balance between Tehran and Washington, how did your government deal with this balance”, he said: Iran is a neighboring country with which it shares religious, cultural and social commonalities. We have.

He added: Until 2003, the Islamic Republic of Iran supported political parties and forces and the struggle of all spectrums against Saddam’s dictatorial regime and stood by the Iraqi people in the war against ISIS.

The President of Iraq stated: America is a strategic partner for Iraq and we have a comprehensive framework agreement with Washington. Therefore, establishing a balance is in the direction of the national interests of the country and our people, and in this way, Iraq is the only country in the region that has a good relationship with Iran and the United States, and in addition to the countries in the region, it can invest in relations with both sides.

He said: We are working on several cases to bring the viewpoints of the offender closer together.

The Prime Minister of Iraq said about whether the series of attacks against the American forces in recent months in Iraq has upset the balance of Iraq’s relationship with Iran and with the United States: We maintain this balance and position as much as possible. We maintained and expressed several times the issue of support for the Palestinian issue and the presence of the international coalition.

He clarified: The presence of the coalition forces is based on an invitation from the Iraqi government, and this presence ends with an agreement on how to operate, and this is what is achieved in the bilateral military committee.

>

Al-Sudani added: Iraq’s security and stability are among the government’s priorities, and this is the duty of the government, the legislature, and all Iraqi political parties and forces.

In response to the question of whether Baghdad is now negotiating to end the mission of the international coalition against ISIS and establish a relationship especially with the American forces, the Iraqi Prime Minister answered the question. Or are we talking about the withdrawal of all combat forces, including American forces? He said: If you check all our statements in several meetings with American officials, you will realize that our position is clear. The presence of the international coalition was based on a call in 2014 to support the Iraqi military forces to fight against terrorists, but now it is 2024 and I can say with full confidence that ISIS is no longer a threat to the security of our country.

He added: Iraqi military and security forces are at a high level of readiness, and even some countries in the region and the world are using the information and capabilities we have against terrorists, so all the conditions that demand the formation of an international coalition including It has ended in 86 countries, of which 25 countries remain.

Al-Sudani stated: On the other hand, our government’s program is committed to ending the presence of the international coalition that the parliament voted for at that time, and based on this, we sent a committee headed by the Minister of Defense to Washington in August 2023 and We approved the agreement of the bilateral committee, whose meetings we hoped would be held before October 7.

He pointed out that the meetings of these committees have now started and their meeting continues to conduct specialized discussions to end the mission of the presence of foreign military advisors and to correct the terminology of foreign forces.

Remembering that 2021 was the last date for the presence of foreign combat forces, the Iraqi Prime Minister added: what remains are advisers and their mission will end with dialogue.

He said: Ending the existence of the international coalition in Iraq does not mean severing Baghdad’s relationship with the countries of the international coalition, including the United States, especially in the security case, but Iraq, according to the usual bilateral relations between the countries of the international coalition and the countries of the region, is a part of It will be an international and regional system.

Al-Sudani also said about the events in the region and Gaza: Iraq is an important part of the region that affects and is affected by the conditions of the region.

He further mentioned about the developments in Palestine: We believe that the Al-Aqsa storm operation on October 7th (15 Mehr) is normal, because this happened as a result of years of cruel actions by the authorities of the occupying regime against the Palestinians and a siege that has lasted for 16 years. The residents of Gaza are suffering from it, done.

The Prime Minister of Iraq stated: What is certain is that the international community has not been able to stop the organized killing of Palestinians by the authorities of the occupying regime, and this is what threatens the region.

In the end, he considered Palestine as a fundamental issue for the Iraqi people and added: The position of the Iraqi government is focused on the need to stop the aggression against Gaza and not to spread the conflict to other areas of the region.

Source: IRNA