GENEVA, January 18./TASS/. The withdrawal from Iraq of the US-led coalition is necessary for maintaining stability and security of the country, Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani told the World Economic Forum in Davos.
"We want to immediately begin the process of getting the coalition forces out of Iraq, since their withdrawal is necessary to maintain security and stability in our country, as well as to preserve constructive relations with the countries - members of the coalition," the prime minister said. He pointed to the coalition forces’ significant role in the defeat of the terrorist organization Islamic State (IS, outlawed in Russia), stressing that Iraq "appreciates the help of allies." However, currently, ""the IS no longer poses a threat to Iraq," so their presence is no longer justified.
Another factor that forced the Iraqi authorities to speed up the process of withdrawal of the international alliance's troops was the attacks on the headquarters of the Iraqi security forces, the prime minister pointed out.
Situation in Gaza
Referring to the escalating conflict between Palestinian Hamas and Israel, al-Sudani warned that it is expanding and "may eventually lead to a war that will engulf the entire Middle East." "We are strongly concerned that this confrontation could expand to involve the Red Sea region, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq," the prime minister said.
Al-Sudani rebuked Israel for not implementing UN rulings concerning Palestine, while other countries "ignore the actions of the Israelis in Gaza," where every moment "women and children are dying" and a humanitarian catastrophe is evolving that the world community is ‘helpless’ to deal with. The Iraqi prime minister pointed out that at least 78 declarations have been adopted on the Palestinian issue, but none of them has been fully implemented. The prime minister called on the international community to meet its legal and moral obligations to the Palestinians and to "end the Israeli occupation".
Tensions with Iran
Asked about the deterioration of relations with Tehran in light of the shelling of the Iraqi city of Erbil, Al-Sudani stressed that although Iran is a neighboring state with which Iraq has much in common, Baghdad "has its own interests, and no one can violate the sovereignty of the Iraqi state." The prime minister pointed out that his country does not interfere in the affairs of other states and asks the same from its allies and neighbors in return.
At the same time, Al-Sudani said that although Iraq maintains relations with many states, it will not allow its territory to be turned into a foothold for attacks on neighboring countries. Iraq is "an extremely important player for maintaining stability in the region" and therefore "it believes in the possibility of strengthening relations with all countries," the Iraqi prime minister noted.
Economic situation in Iraq
The prime minister admitted that Iraq is currently heavily dependent on energy exports. Dependence on oil revenues "has weakened the Iraqi economy," so the country plans to reduce their share in the budget from 95 to 80% in the next three years, al-Sudani said. One of the main tasks now facing the Iraqi economy is to diversify its sources of income, he added.
Other measures Baghdad plans to take in the near future to improve the economic situation are increasing investment in the gas industry and "optimizing the use of water resources." "Iraq will soon change completely for the better," al-Sudani stressed. He expressed confidence that the country "will soon become a unified, stable and strong state with a completely new economic structure."