Kadhimi Prioritizes 'Sovereignty, Interests' in Talks with US

Arab World

June 11th, 5:42am

Baghdad- Fadhel al-Nashmi

Kadhimi Prioritizes 'Sovereignty, Interests' in Talks with US

Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi stressed on Wednesday that the first elements of the forthcoming talks with Washington are sovereignty and the interests of the country. The first stage of US-Iraqi strategic talks are expected to kick off Thursday and would last for two days, mainly tackling the US military presence in Iraq The PM spoke from the city of Mosul on the sixth anniversary of ISIS's onslaught against Iraq. The terrorist group controlled a third of the country at the height of its power in 2014. At his arrival, he held a meeting with the military and security leaders at the Nineveh Operations Command headquarters and then visited Al-Nouri Mosque and the St. Adi Church in Al-Hamdania district. “We will not allow the repetition of what happened, and we carry out military operations to support security and stability and pursue the terrorist cells,” Kadhimi said during his trip. He stressed that experiences have always proven that diversity in Iraq was a point of strength and not weakness and that there was no choice but love, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence among the components of the Iraqi people. “Mosul succeeded in uniting us, and the national project is our only choice for the sake of the country's renaissance and prosperity,” he explained. Kadhimi also stressed the importance of coexistence and diversity in Nineveh Governorate. "Nineveh rises and flourishes with the solidarity of its people from all sects and ethnicities,” he said. The PM pointed to the challenges facing the government in the current stage, as it mobilizes all its efforts to face the coronavirus pandemic, in light of the financial crisis caused by the collapse of oil prices. "The government inherited a heavy legacy, and received an empty budget, as a result of poor planning and total dependence on oil, he said.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2328476/kadhimi-prioritizes-sovereignty-interests-talks-us