Washington’s Ambassador to Baghdad: The United States will not leave the region

Alina Romanowsky added: “About a year ago, exactly last July, US President Joe Biden visited Saudi Arabia, met with regional leaders and made it clear that the United States would not leave the region. , because they consider it strategically important, and we have a long-standing relationship in politics and economics. » culture and education.

And to continue: “We have worked for a long time with our partners in the region to face a certain number of challenges, in particular to put an end to the various crises in the region. It is therefore clear that the United States will remain present in the region and will remain interested in deepening its partnerships with its countries, in particular with Iraq.

Disarm the militias

Regarding the situation in Iraq and the people’s desire for stability, she said:

“When I go out and talk to Iraqis, it becomes very clear to me that they don’t want a state controlled by militias, but rather want to disarm the militias and bring them back into the state.” “Therefore, whatever the nature of the Prime Minister’s relationship with these armed groups and factions, the goal must remain focused on ensuring that Iraq enjoys stability and security, and that is an entrusted goal. to the Prime Minister to achieve.” “This stability will inevitably benefit the United States and the international community. We cannot all bring business and engage on a larger scale if there is no stability and security in Iraq.” “All I have to do is look out the windows of our embassy compound to see the enormous scale of buildings that are being constructed…I see our businesses thriving and there there are many Iraqi businessmen and women who I would like to see more businesses investing in Iraq.” “Thanks to the stability that Iraq enjoys, Iraqis in the diaspora have started to come back to invest and exhibit their arts and works. There is a very positive environment full of opportunities, and this is thanks to the stability that prevails now, and to the security that has become pervasive in Iraq, especially in Baghdad.”

Fight against corruption in Iraq

Asked about the Iraqi authorities’ anti-corruption campaign, Romanowski said:

“We seek to continue to support Prime Minister Muhammad al-Sudani in his commitment to root out corruption and money laundering in Iraq. The steps we have taken, and are still taking, with the Central Bank of Iraq and with the rest of the banks here, aim to ensure the strengthening of the international banking system in Iraq.” “It also aims to verify that the banks have put in place the necessary compliance mechanisms to prevent money laundering and the smuggling of dollars out of Iraq, and to ensure that Iraqi businesses feel confident and that the Iraqi public has confidence that they have a banking system that protects their savings and financial resources”. “What is needed is for banks to adhere to international standards, and to exclude any malicious actors who might use the international banking system to launder money. cooperation between the Ministry of Treasury and the Iraqi financial system for a long time”. time.”

water crisis

Regarding the water crisis in Iraq, the US Ambassador to Iraq responded by saying:

“This is a matter of real concern to Iraqis and the government. We express our willingness and desire to work with the government and people of Iraq, to ​​share our best practices with the aim of achieving greater efficiency of the ‘water.” “We urge the Iraqi government to engage in constructive dialogue with neighboring countries, which are the source countries of Iraqi water, to try to reach a better understanding on how to share water resources.” “USAID has worked in Iraq for several years and we are very proud of the projects we have implemented, such as the installation and maintenance of water pumps in areas such as Basra, Nineveh and Anbar, and the supplying water to hundreds of thousands of people in areas where our agency has been able to initiate projects.” This is an area in which we hope to continue working. We have the ability to exchange water experts, because the United States has been hit by droughts more than once, and we have sent a group of Iraqi water experts to parts of America. , where we seek innovative ways and the use of new technologies to improve the management and distribution of water.” .

Iraq and Türkiye

The US official referred to attacks launched by Turkey against PKK sites (some of which are located in Iraq), saying:

“We share with Turkey its concern over the attacks launched by the PKK, and we encourage Turkey and Iraq to work together and cooperate in the fight against terrorism, to restore stability in the places targeted by the terrorist attacks. .”

Fight Daesh

Asked about ISIS in Iraq and efforts to combat it, the US ambassador explained:

“We are pleased that the Prime Minister has confirmed that he enjoys working with the United States and that he believes that the work we are doing to ensure the defeat of ISIS is still very important. Our efforts will continue until that we are certain that all elements of the Islamic State are defeated, including the remnants.” “We are confident that we have a growing and important relationship with Iraq on security issues, and we will continue to work together in this direction.” “We, along with the Iraqi government, continue to believe that there are still pockets of ISIS fighters, and this presents an ongoing challenge to the security and stability of the region. We will continue our work as partners to deal with this internal threat in Iraq.” “The United States will continue to work to ensure that ISIS does not remain a threat to the region and the world, so I don’t think we are in a position to say that ISIS is finished.” “We can say from Iraq and the region in particular that we have a strong partnership that shares our vision that our work as part of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh is still very important. We still hold annual ministerial meetings on this issue, as well as our focus on how to ensure the reintegration of relatives of ISIS victims into their communities and to live within them in safety.

“Continued Achievements” and U.S.-Iraq Cooperation

Romanowski spoke about his country’s relationship with Iraq, saying:

“The United States is very committed to the stability and sovereignty of Iraq. Iraq is in a place surrounded by many neighbors, and as a country that has many neighboring countries, including Iran, it maintains relations with its neighbors, in the economic, political and other fields.” “America’s main focus is on ensuring that Iraq has its sovereignty and that it makes its decisions independently, in a way that serves the interests not only of the government, but also of the Iraqi people.” “What we have achieved here, after being in Iraq for 20 years, is an ongoing process. We are very much focused right now on the future, whether in our dealings with the prime minister or the government, and what we can continue to build with and in partnership with the Iraqi people.” It is very important for us to view Iraq as a country of great strategic importance, and committed to supporting stability, security and the economic development of the region. From this point of view, I believe that we are on the right track to broaden our relations. in accordance with the Strategic Framework Agreement that we negotiated and agreed to in 2008.” “Over the past few years, due to the Corona pandemic and Iraq’s security and stability challenges, we have become more focused on security issues, and today we are able to work with the Sudanese government to help them. to achieve the objectives of its program in terms of strengthening work in the fields of security, economy and culture, and to contribute to ensuring that Iraq maintains strong and good relations with its neighbors in the region , especially with the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, Jordan and other countries. We look forward to the future…and we have launched many discussions in the economy and we are earnestly seeking to increase our economic and trade cooperation, and we have worked to achieve independence in the field of energy in Iraq, and to promote cultural exchange in which a lot of work awaits us. In February, when the Prime Minister traveled with his delegation to the United States.” “Among new and important areas, not only for Iraq, but for the United States, the world too, is striving to deal with climate change. The effects of drought, water scarcity and poor air quality are very clear to government and people. stability and security. Of course, it is possible to move forward and work to strengthen our relationship after Iraq has experienced the stability that the Iraqi people have been looking for. Romanowski

Read the Latest World News Today on The Eastern Herald.