Donald Trump congratulates new Iraqi Prime Minister
WASHINGTON DC (Kurdistan 24) – US President Donald Trump telephoned Iraq’s new Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, on Monday to congratulate him on his confirmation last week by the Iraqi parliament.
Trump “expressed the support of the United State for Iraq during the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic,” while he “emphasized the shared interest with Iraq in achieving the enduring defeat of ISIS,” according to a summary of their discussion released by White House spokesman Judd Deere.
Trump’s congratulatory call was the third affirmation of US support for Kadhimi. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered his congratulations, following the US welcome of Kadhimi’s nomination as prime minister by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, David Schenker, in April.
Read More: Pompeo congratulates new Iraqi Prime Minister
Trump “also encouraged” Kadhimi “to address the Iraqi people’s demands for reform” and, significantly, “legitimate early national elections,” according to Deere’s statement.
Trump did not extend the courtesy of a congratulatory phone call to Kadhimi’s predecessor, Adil Abdul Mahdi, who announced his resignation on Nov. 30, triggering five months of political deadlock in Baghdad.
Kadhimi’s office also released a summary of the phone conversation. Kadhimi thanked Trump for his congratulations, according to the Iraqi summary, as he “stressed Iraq's keenness to establish the best relations with the United States.”
For his part, Trump emphasized the keenness of the United States “to strengthen relations between the two states,” the statement from Kadhimi’s office said.
The US is prepared to provide “the necessary economic assistance to strengthen the Iraqi economy,” it continued, while the two sides agreed on “expanding cooperation in the fight against the coronavirus, along with developing economic investment efforts in the interests of both countries.”
The US played a significant role behind the scenes in helping to gain parliamentary approval of Kadhimi’s nomination, The New York Times earlier reported. Immediately after he became prime minister, the US announced a 120-day waiver which allows Iraq to continue importing electricity from Iran.
Like other oil-exporting nations, Iraq has been hard-hit by the decline in oil prices that has accompanied the global economic slowdown brought about by the coronavirus pandemic. Moreover, Baghdad’s lockdown on its own citizens to stop the spread of the virus has caused additional economic difficulties.
On Monday, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) announced it was partnering with local organizations “to provide food assistance to more than 85,000 people” in Nineveh Province “who are experiencing increased hardship” due to the global health crisis.
“We are proud of our partnerships with faith-based organizations and other local groups to provide life-saving support to vulnerable families amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” the US Ambassador to Iraq, Matthew Tueller, said.
Next month, the US and Iraq will conduct a “strategic dialogue” to review all aspects of their relationship, including the military, political, and economic.
Editing by Karzan Sulaivany