US President invites Iraqi PM to visit Washington

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Prime Minister, Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani, received on Tuesday an official invitation from US President Joe Biden to visit the White House.

A statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) explained that Al-Sudani met in New York with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on the sidelines of his participation in the meetings of the United Nations General Assembly at its 78th session.

The statement elaborated that Blinken conveyed the US President’s invitation to visit the White House to discuss bilateral relations between the United States and Iraq.

Al-Sudani stressed the importance of resuming the work of the Higher Coordinating Committee (HCC), in accordance with the 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement for a Relationship of Friendship and Cooperation between the United States and Iraq (SFA).

The Iraqi Prime Minister indicated that Iraq is interested in developing partnership relations with the United States to confront the effects of climate change and invest in the energy sector, expressing that Iraq welcomes the contribution of US companies to investment opportunities in Iraq.

Al-Sudani also emphasized the importance of joint cooperation in the security field to fight ISIS, in light of the growing capabilities of the Iraqi security forces and their ability to maintain security across Iraq.

Blinken indicated that the US administration appreciates the steps taken by the Iraqi government to diversify energy sources, take advantage of flared gas, achieve self-sufficiency through deals with TotalEnergies, and be electrically interconnected with neighboring countries.

The US State Secretary highlighted the United States’ eagerness to cooperate with Iraq in issues related to climate change, infrastructure development, and the expansion of the partnership in various fields.

Blinken also renewed the United States’ support for Iraq’s stability, development, and prosperity.