World
From left: US President Joe Biden and Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani. Photos: Biden's and Sudani's offices/file
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani will travel to the United States for a meeting with President Joe Biden in Washington on April 15, the White House said in a statement on Friday.
They “will consult on a range of issues during the visit, including our shared commitment to the lasting defeat of ISIS and evolution of the military mission nearly ten years after forming the successful Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS,” read the White House statement.
The two sides have begun discussions about winding down the coalition mission in Iraq. Baghdad is seeking to expel coalition forces from the country after the US carried out several airstrikes against Iraqi armed groups in retaliation for scores of attacks on its forces based in Iraq, Syria, and Jordan.
The White House statement said Sudani and Biden will also “reaffirm their commitment to the Strategic Framework Agreement and deepen their shared vision for a secure, sovereign, and prosperous Iraq fully integrated into the broader region.”
The Iraq-US Strategic Framework Agreement outlines cooperation in several areas including defense, energy, and the economy.
Sudani's office said in a statement that Sudani and Biden will discuss the "future relationship" between their countries and the "best ways to transition to a comprehensive partnership between the Republic of Iraq and the United States."
They will also "consult on a range of issues, including the most important regional issues and efforts to enhance stability in the region," read the statement.
At the beginning of the month, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani was in Washington for meetings with State Department and Pentagon officials, as well as members of Congress to discuss important issues for Erbil, including its disputes with Baghdad over finances, recent court rulings pertaining to elections that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has condemned as unconstitutional, and resuming oil exports that have been stopped for a year causing billions of dollars in lost income.
Oil producers have asked the White House to pressure Sudani into resuming the exports that were halted last year following a court ruling that said Turkey had violated its agreement with Baghdad when it allowed the KRG to independently export oil through its pipeline. The flow of oil is yet to resume because of disagreements between oil producers and the Iraqi government over production costs.
Updated at 9:07 pm
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