Austin from Baghdad: Washington will continue to help strengthen the partnership
Austin from Baghdad: Washington will continue to help strengthen the partnership
3-8-2023
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin affirmed Washington’s commitment to maintaining its military presence in Iraq and strengthening partnership with Baghdad, during an unannounced visit to the Iraqi capital yesterday, after which he visited Erbil.
“The American forces are ready to stay in Iraq at the invitation of the Iraqi government,” Austin told reporters after his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia’a al-Sudani. He added, “The United States will continue to consolidate and expand the partnership to support Iraq’s security, stability, and sovereignty.”
Later, Al-Sudani said in a statement that his government’s approach is to maintain balanced relations with governments in the region and the world, based on common interests and respect for sovereignty, adding that “Iraq’s stability is key to the region’s security and stability.”
According to current and former officials and experts, one of the goals of the US Secretary of Defense’s visit is to support the Iraqi prime minister in confronting Iranian influence in his country.
In a related context, US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf mentioned, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, that her country is aware that its partners in the Middle East region face real security threats, stressing that the US Central Command is working to establish an integrated security structure for the region, Saudi Arabia will be a central part of it.
The US official stressed the need to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, noting that Iran’s continued sending of drones and other weapons to Russia affects the security of the Gulf.
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