UK PM confirms support for Iraqi unity in surprise visit to Baghdad

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – UK's Prime Minister Theresa May met with her Iraqi counterpart Haider al-Abadi in a surprise visit on Wednesday in Baghdad, her first trip to the country.

 

May confirmed her "support for the unity of Iraq and asked the Kurdistan Region to respect a unified Iraq and urged talks," a statement from the office of the Iraqi PM read.

 

There was no immediate statement from the office of the British PM.

 

The UK opposed Kurdistan's independence referendum and the British parliament has discussed the situation of the Kurdistan Region in the wake of the vote and subsequent damaged relations between Erbil and Baghdad.

 

UK's Foreign Minister Boris Johnson informed KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani in a letter released on November 22 that there are "serious efforts" in place to help begin talks between Erbil and Baghdad on the basis of the Iraqi constitution. 

 

The Iraqi Federal Court canceled the results of the Kurdish vote after it ruled it was "unconstitutional." The KRG has not yet made it clear whether it respects the verdict. The Kurdish leadership did say they respected an earlier ruling that concluded the constitution prohibits the secession of any part of the country.

 

And the KRG has called on Baghdad to roll back its post-referendum measures, including an international flight ban, as the court called on all sides to cancel steps taken in response to the referendum.

 

Britain is one of the leading members of the US-led Global Coalition against ISIS in Iraq, providing training and logistic support to Iraqi and Kurdish forces.

 

Abadi thanked May for her visit while praising their relations and British support in the war against ISIS, as well as humanitarian support funded by London, the Iraqi statement read. 

 

As the war against ISIS in Iraq is in its final stages, the country is entering a new stage of reconstruction and investment. Baghdad has asked British companies to play a role.

 

May promised the UK will continue as a "partner" to Iraq to help stabilize and rebuild the country, adding that London has allocated financial support for the Iraqi forces and to help people return to their homes. 

 

When praising Iraqi and Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi efforts to drive ISIS out of the country, Abadi did not mention the Peshmerga who historically coordinated with the Iraqi army in the Mosul offensive.

 

The two leaders also discussed developing relations, economic relations, "and insistence on the unity of Iraq and its stability," the statement quoted Abadi saying.

 

The UK's Deputy National Security Advisor Christian Turner met with Abadi in Baghdad in late November. 

 

The two discussed the final phases of the war with ISIS, as well the Erbil-Baghdad rift. The British official urged the two sides to come together.

 

"I also emphasised the importance of dialogue between the Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government as a vital step towards building a secure, stable and unified Iraq," Turner said at the time, according to the British readout of the meeting.