French President Reaffirms Solidarity with Iraq Amid Regional Tensions

AFP

rench President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani at the Elysee Palace in Paris on 26 January 2023.

French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed on Friday his country’s support for full respect for the sovereignty and security of Iraq in phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani.

“I just spoke with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani and reiterated my support for his determined efforts to prevent Iraq from being drawn into conflict,” President Macron said in a post on the X platform.

The French president added that he had expressed France’s full solidarity with Iraq in light of the ongoing escalation in the Middle East.

He stressed that Iraq’s stability is vital for the entire region, emphasising that France supports full respect for Iraq’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.

According to a statement from the prime minister’s media office, al-Sudani highlighted during the call the importance of intensifying international efforts to halt military operations and prevent further escalation.

The statement said al-Sudani stressed that the international community, its institutions and major powers must work to stop the war, prevent further escalation and reject the targeting and displacement taking place in Lebanon, in order to preserve regional stability and development.

For his part, Macron praised Iraq’s efforts to prevent the conflict from expanding and commended the prime minister’s stance in prioritising dialogue and diplomacy, emphasising the importance of negotiations to resolve international and regional disputes.

He also underscored the importance of continued cooperation between France and the Iraqi government to prevent the war from spreading and to limit its repercussions on countries across the region.



PUKMEDIA