Iraqi President to BBC: Our Relations with All the States Are Based on Respecting Independence

Iraqi Presidency

Iraqi President Abdullatif Jamal Rashid.

Iraqi President Abdullatif Jamal Rashid emphasized that Iraq has sought to have balanced relations with all the states of the world.

In his first English-speaking television interviews, since taking office in October, President Rashid spoke to the BBC and underlined that," we have very good and strong relationships with the United States, and at the same time, we have very good relationships with Iran and we have good relations with all the regional countries and we have good relations with the European countries".

Furthermore, he added that," I paid an official visit to Iran recently and we outlined all our relationships with every country is based on Iraq's independent and beneficial contact between the two countries".

"I think a good relationship between our regional countries and even outside our regional countries is for everybody's benefit. And I think tensions and challenges doesn't lead to a good relationship between the different countries. And I think we can solve all our problems through dialogue and through consultations and through improving relationships", he highlighted.

The president talked about Iraq's role in bringing views closer together and improving the relationships between the world's states, and hailed the re-establishment of diplomatic relations between Iran and the Saudia Arabian, and mentioned efforts made by Iraq to smooth relations between some other countries.

His Excellency confirmed that, Iraq is enjoying a period of peace, safety and security, which encourage investors to invest in Iraq , and it is therefore, the government is very serious to take action towards encouraging foreign and national investments, and there are a lot of opportunities for investors to come to invest in Iraq.

There are other factors that really encourage investors to modify our rules and regulations regarding the procedures of financial transfer and at the same time fiscal policy and improving certain rules and regulations, which are attached to investors and the banking system, he added.

Additionally, the government is very serious to take action along all these lines, since Iraq has enjoyed a period of safety and security for the last few years, he confirmed.

Regarding climate change,
President Rashid asserted that the government has taken serious action regarding the improvement of our water system, and at the same time conducting dialogue with our neighboring countries and taking a serious decision and action to improve the water system in Iraq and fight the drought and other factors which are related to drought.

Regarding corruption,
President Rashid said, "We have taken very serious steps and we have announced all the steps that should be taken because we want to act seriously on corruption".

He added that, actually, I want to mention that corruption for the last year or two has decreased in Iraq, and there is a serious government policy to abandon and to take action against corruption in all the departments and all ministries and in all the government activities".

Responding to a question on the Russian-Ukrainian war, the President recalled Iraq's stance that is anti-war in every part of the world, rather dialogue shall start to solve the problem.

Iraq's Abdullatif Jamal Rashid emphasized that, "our real message and our advice, and our recommendation is this war should be stopped and dialogue shall start to solve the problem between these two countries, because this war is affecting everybody in the world, and is affecting European countries, and is affecting our countries and is affecting probably most of economy in the world". He added that, " the international community should put pressure on these two countries to stop the war and to stop the conflict and start negotiating".

Regarding the war waged against the former doctorship, His Excellency said that, " Iraqi population, Iraqis of all nationalities, with all the religious groups, wanted to get rid of dictatorships because the dictatorship in Iraq challenge the international community, and challenge Iraqi people and challenge regional countries". "There wasn't any group or any political group or any section of Iraqi society was not against Saddam Hussein or was not asking for help to get rid of Saddam Hussein" he added.

 

PUKMEDIA / Iraqi Presidency