Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi stressed on Saturday during the Baghdad conference that “Iraq and France are key partners in the war against terrorism.”
“The Iraqi-French relations are very important, and we are grateful for France's participation in the Baghdad summit,” said Kadhemi during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Iraqi PM said that France has contributed to supporting Iraq in its fight against terrorism, and is working on the economic partnership between the two countries in the fields of energy, oil and electricity.
For his part, Macron said that France “is keen on Iraq’s stability and we must not lower our guard in our fight against terrorism, we are committed to this work."
He stressed that the extremist ISIS organization still "poses a threat."
“ISIS has been defeated on Iraqi soil and we are working to implement projects in Iraq. We are ready to support Iraq's efforts in reconstruction projects, the displaced, and the stability of the liberated areas,” said Macron, adding “we welcome the progress made by the Iraqi government to hold the upcoming elections.”
Arab heads of state and senior officials from the region met Saturday at a conference hosted by Iraq. The meeting is aimed at easing Mideast tensions and emphasizing the Arab country’s new role as mediator.
According to Iraqi sources, the conference discusses files related to expanding the economic partnership, fighting terrorism, supporting reconstruction projects in Iraq, and expanding cooperation between Iraq and neighboring countries.
Countries participating in the summit include Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, the Emirates, Qatar, Iran, Turkey and France, in addition to representatives of the member states of the UN Security Council, the G20 and the Secretary-General of the Arab League.
