VP Kamala Harris holds talks with PM Al-Sudani in Munich: American Perspective, 17 FEB

 Shafaq News / The White House stated, on Friday, that Vice President Kamala Harris met with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani of Iraq today in Munich, Germany.

According to the statement, "The Vice President and Prime Minister Al-Sudani reaffirmed their mutual interest in a strong and enduring partnership as envisioned in the U.S.-Iraq Strategic Framework Agreement."

"The Vice President emphasized the commitment of the United States to supporting Iraq in achieving a secure and stable future for its people, which is critical to ensuring a prosperous and interconnected Middle East."

The statement continued, "The Vice President urged the Iraqi government to prevent attacks against U.S. personnel and expressed appreciation for the Prime Minister’s efforts to date."

She stated that "the United States has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and will act, as needed, in self-defense."

The leaders also discussed the importance of "continuing the U.S.-Iraq Higher Military Commission, which will enable the transition to an enduring bilateral security partnership between the United States and Iraq and is the natural next step to build on the very successful collaboration of the past 10 years between Iraq and the Defeat ISIS coalition."

The two leaders also discussed the importance of continuing U.S.-Iraq economic and energy cooperation through the High Coordinating Committee and continuing to economically integrate Iraq into the broader region. 

The Vice President reiterated President Biden’s invitation to Prime Minister Sudani to visit the White House.

earlier today, Prime Minister Al-Sudani’s media office stated that Iraq's prime minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, met US Vice President Kamala Harris on Friday and reaffirmed the country's unwavering position on sovereignty. 

The subject of Al-Sudani's discussion with Harris on the fringes of his attendance at the Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024 was bilateral relations between the United States and Iraq.

"One of the topics of discussion was confirming the need for ongoing communication via the Joint High Committee to wrap up the Global Coalition's activities against ISIS in Iraq. This is because the Iraqi military is becoming more capable and the threat posed by terrorist remnants is waning."

During the discussion, there was also talk about expanding the scope of the Strategic Framework Agreement between the US and Iraq to include all sectors of economic and developmental cooperation.

Reiterating Iraq's firm position on sovereignty over its land, Al-Sudani emphasized that "this concept is non-negotiable in any situation."