Former Iraqi PM calls for strengthened US-Iraq ties – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Former Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi called on Thursday for
Iraq to build stronger relations with the United States while upholding
existing bilateral agreements, ahead of PM Ali Faleh al-Zaidi’s official visit
to Washington.

“We hope for the success of Prime Minister Ali
al-Zaidi,” Abdul-Mahdi told Shafaq News, cautioning that it remained
“too early to evaluate the work of the government,” which still has
four years ahead of it.

On the broader bilateral relationship, the former prime
minister said that while Iraq values ties with all countries, a friendship with
the United States is necessary —provided existing agreements between Baghdad
and Washington are also implemented. He identified September as a critical
juncture, noting that the scheduled withdrawal of Global Coalition coalition
forces from Iraqi soil by the end of that month is “decisive.”

Abdul-Mahdi, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2020,
added that strengthening political and economic relations serves the interests
of all parties, citing the importance of both Washington’s global role and
Iraq’s regional standing.

Al-Zaidi’s upcoming Washington trip is expected to center on
economic partnership. A source familiar with the visit’s agenda told Shafaq
News that the prime minister will carry files addressing several longstanding
national challenges, including a proposal to export 500,000 barrels of oil per
day to the United States in exchange for partnerships with major American
companies in the energy, industry, and agriculture sectors.

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