ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The economy, not security, is top priority for Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani in his visit to the United States that includes a meeting with US President Joe Biden, a government spokesperson said on Sunday.
The main purpose of the week-long visit “is purely economic and investment, to advance Iraqi-American relations to bilateral relations and a clearer future than before,” Iraqi government spokesperson Basem al-Awadi told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda in Washington.
Sudani arrived in the American capital on Saturday. He will meet with Biden on Monday. He is also scheduled to visit the Pentagon, meet with US lawmakers, companies such as General Electric and Lockheed Martin, as well as members of the Iraqi diaspora.
“The main purpose of the visit is to reactivate the Strategic Framework Agreement,” said Awadi, noting that the agreement contains “seven important sections, such as economy, investment, agriculture, education, environment and climate,” all areas where Iraq wants to improve ties with the US.
The Strategic Framework Agreement came into effect in 2009 and seeks to normalize Baghdad-Washington relations through long-term bilateral economic, diplomatic, cultural, and security cooperation.
The official schedule of the visit published by the prime minister’s office includes meetings with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Biden’s National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, however, Awadi said security is not a focus of the trip.
“The visit is not a security or a military one. Therefore there are no security or military officials in the delegation with the prime minister,” he said.
During his visit, Sudani is also expected to meet with several American companies that work in the fields of energy and security. According to Awadi, more American companies are interested in “being involved” and investing in Iraq.
“There are major American companies involved in Iraq, and there are other companies that are interested in getting involved in Iraq,” Awadi said.
Awadi said that he believes the Sudani-Biden “meeting will be a significant transition in Iraqi-American relations since their establishment until today.”
The main purpose of the week-long visit “is purely economic and investment, to advance Iraqi-American relations to bilateral relations and a clearer future than before,” Iraqi government spokesperson Basem al-Awadi told Rudaw’s Diyar Kurda in Washington.
Sudani arrived in the American capital on Saturday. He will meet with Biden on Monday. He is also scheduled to visit the Pentagon, meet with US lawmakers, companies such as General Electric and Lockheed Martin, as well as members of the Iraqi diaspora.
“The main purpose of the visit is to reactivate the Strategic Framework Agreement,” said Awadi, noting that the agreement contains “seven important sections, such as economy, investment, agriculture, education, environment and climate,” all areas where Iraq wants to improve ties with the US.
The Strategic Framework Agreement came into effect in 2009 and seeks to normalize Baghdad-Washington relations through long-term bilateral economic, diplomatic, cultural, and security cooperation.
The official schedule of the visit published by the prime minister’s office includes meetings with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Biden’s National Security Council Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk, however, Awadi said security is not a focus of the trip.
“The visit is not a security or a military one. Therefore there are no security or military officials in the delegation with the prime minister,” he said.
During his visit, Sudani is also expected to meet with several American companies that work in the fields of energy and security. According to Awadi, more American companies are interested in “being involved” and investing in Iraq.
“There are major American companies involved in Iraq, and there are other companies that are interested in getting involved in Iraq,” Awadi said.
Awadi said that he believes the Sudani-Biden “meeting will be a significant transition in Iraqi-American relations since their establishment until today.”
Before his departure, Sudani said in a video message that the goal of his visit was to bring relations with the US to “a new stage.”
Security may not be top priority for Sudani, but observers expect Iraqi involvement in Iran’s assault on Israel will come up. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that American forces “intercepted dozens of missiles and UAVs en route to Israel, launched from Iran, Iraq, Syrian and Yemen.”
Iraq’s Iran-backed armed groups are leading a push to expel international forces from the country after the US carried out several airstrikes against these groups in retaliation for scores of attacks on its forces based in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan. The US and Iraq have begun discussions about winding down the presence of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS).
Baghdad’s language has been clear regarding the fact that its aim is to bring an end to the presence of coalition forces in the country, while Washington has described the step as a “transition” in the forces’ roles.
Sudani in late January presided over the first round of talks of the joint US-Iraq Higher Military Commission (HMC), the purpose of which is to evaluate the coalition’s future role in Iraq based on the level of Islamic State (ISIS) threat, operational and environmental requirements, and the capabilities of Iraqi security forces. Several more rounds of talks have been held since then, most recently on Tuesday.
Baghdad - Erbil relations
The Iraqi government spokesperson said that Baghdad is committed to complying with the orders of the Federal Supreme Court and it would cooperate with the Kurdistan Region to resolve any outstanding issues regarding payment of the salaries of the Region’s civil servants.
“The Iraqi government… will not hesitate to extend a helping hand to all citizens, whether in salaries, energy, or electricity, specifically the citizens of the Kurdistan Region,” he said.
Awadi acknowledged the existence of “constitutional or technical matters” that have caused delays, however he said he believes that Kurdish officials know “the intentions of the Iraqi government and the prime minister's intentions to implement all laws constitutionally and legally.”
Awadi also commented on the long-overdue Kurdistan Region parliamentary elections around which a lot of uncertainty hangs due to the Kurdistan Democratic Party’s (KDP) decision to boycott the vote.
“Kurdistan is an integral part of Iraq, and the elections reflect the democratic situation in Iraq as a whole, as well as reflect the democratic situation in the Kurdistan Region, which is the peaceful transfer of power. It also reflects the importance of Kurdish citizens' participation in making political decisions in the Kurdistan Region,” he said, adding that holding the election on time will “reflect positively” on the overall political situation in Iraq.
Updated at 11:38 pm
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