President of the Republic: Our relationship with America and Iran is good, and we are not under the control or will of any country
The President of the Republic, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, confirmed that Iraq is now free of terrorist operations, while describing the relationship with the United States of America and Iran as “good” and that we are not under the control or will of any country.
Rashid said, in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, followed by {Al-Furat News}, that: “Trump’s return is an important step to resolve conflicts in the world and the Middle East, and Iraq is now free of terrorist operations, and what remains of terrorism does not exceed a few pockets.”
He added, "Our relations with the United States of America are good, and we thank the American position for standing by our side in fighting the terrorist organization ISIS," noting that "the American forces are present under bilateral agreements, and at the request of the Iraqi government and in coordination and consultation with the political forces in Iraq."
Rashid continued, "The factions are now under the control of the government according to procedures that the relevant authorities are working on, to reach a situa tion that ends any combat activity in these circumstances," stressing "the importance of the state of Iran as a state and our relations with it are good; but we are the decision-makers in Iraq, and we are not under the control or will of any state."
He added, "Our region is a historical and civilized region, and is considered one of the most important regions. It is rich in natural resources more than any region of the neighboring countries. Therefore, we must enjoy our wealth, enjoy security and peace, and work to solve the problems of the neighboring countries."
Rashid added, "We tried to contribute to finding solutions to settle the situation in Syria during the era of Bashar al-Assad's regime, several times. Syria is an important country in the Middle East, and it shares borders with a number of countries in the region, but Bashar's regime unfortunately did not invest in our attempts. We supported Syria's return to the Arab League, and we tried to bring the views of the former Syrian regime and the various factions closer together."
"We wish the new administration in Syria success in improving the situation, but things are not very clear yet," he added, explaining, "We share a long border with Syria, and the fact is that there are a large number of terrorist organizations on the Iraqi-Syrian border, and that worries us. The international community must work to find radical solutions to the crisis of terrorists in detention camps who hold different nationalities."
Regarding the water crisis, Rashid said, “The water crisis exists at the present time, and its solutions also exist. The solutions, in my opinion, are easy if there is a real and serious intention to solve this problem. There are three main factors that contribute to the water crisis: neighboring countries, climate, and improving water management in Iraq.” link