Iraqi FM conveys concerns about US decision to close Baghdad embassy

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Saturday, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Minister Fuad Hussein had received a phone call from his US counterpart, Mike Pompeo.

The ministry said that the conversation came a day earlier, focusing on bilateral relations and the US decision to shutter its Baghdad embassy as rocket attacks and roadside bombings continue to target US forces and interests across much of Iraq.

Read More: Baghdad, both Iraqis and foreigners, roiled by US threats to close its embassy

“The Minister expressed concern about this decision, despite it being a sovereign decision on the US side, but it may lead to outcomes that are not in the interest of the Iraqi people,” said a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement.

Minister Hussein stressed that “the Iraqi government has taken a number of security, organizational, political, and diplomatic measures to stop the attacks on the Green Zone and the [Baghdad] airport, and there will be tangible positive results in the near future.”

It added that the two sides discussed various “future possibilities” regarding the status of US diplomatic missions in Baghdad and noted the importance of continuing to exchange views and communicate to find solutions to the crisis.

From his side, the US Secretary emphasized that US-Iraqi relations are “important” for both sides, according to the statement. Pompeo also promised to take what he discussed with Hussein into consideration.

Hussein on Wednesday called on the White House to reconsider its decision to close its embassy in Baghdad. That same day, six rockets landed outside the Erbil International Airport, close to the US-led Coalition against ISIS’s base in Erbil province.

Read More: Kurdistan Region condemns rocket attack near Erbil airport, blames Iran-backed militias

Editing by Khrush Najari