Iraq's parliament speaker calls for peace and dialogue in Ukraine crisis

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – On Wednesday, the Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halboosi said that he hopes the military operations in Ukraine will stop and that Moscow and Kyiv initiate dialogue to resolve the issues between them, according to a statement. 

He made the remarks during a meeting with the Ukrainian Embassy's Chargé d'Affairs to Baghdad Alexander Borvzhnikov.

The Ukrainian diplomat briefed al-Halboosi on the dire humanitarian catastrophe the war has caused in his country, according to a statement from Halboosi's office. 

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began with a combined air, sea, and land assault, has displaced over two million people, according to the latest figures from the UN. 

Halboosi reiterated Iraq's position on preserving "stability of countries, their independence, and sovereignty" and said he hopes military operations will end soon and dialogue begin. 

Borvzhnikov "praised" Iraq's stance, the press release added. 

Iraq recently abstained from voting for a United Nations General Assembly's resolution condemning the Russian invasion. Only four countries – Syria, North Korea, Eritrea, and Russia – opposed the non-binding decision. 

Numerous political, cultural, and economic sanctions have been imposed on Russia by the Western powers in response to its invasion of Ukraine. US President Joe Biden has even banned all Russian energy imports.