Iraq
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani speaking at the Baghdad International Dialogue Conference on March 19, 2023. Photo: PM Sudani's office
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has regained its stance in the region as an “incubator” for dialogue between opposing sides, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani said Sunday, with Baghdad having recently played a key role in the resumption of ties between rivals Tehran and Riyadh.
“Iraq has regained its natural position as an incubator for dialogue,” Sudani said during a dialogue conference in Baghdad.
The Iraqi capital was a key venue for five rounds of talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia, with both countries earlier in the month announcing that they had reached an agreement to restore ties in a Chinese-brokered deal after decades of bitter relations that culminated in severing diplomatic ties in 2016.
Iraq’s foreign ministry hailed the agreement as a “new page of diplomatic relations” at the time, and Tehran and Riyadh in a joint statement said they were “grateful” to Baghdad for being a crucial mediator as well as the venue for rounds of talks.
“Our government has drawn an ambitious program for the advancement of Iraq,” Sudani added, after he commended the successes of Iraq in tackling its political and economic challenges since his cabinet took office during a forum in Sulaimani on Wednesday.
“Iraq has the resources to rise,” the premier affirmed.
A busy week for Iraq has seen the premier’s cabinet approve the federal budget bill for three consecutive years as well as giving the nod to the elevation of Halabja as the country’s 19th province.
After approving the budget law, Sudani stated that Erbil and Baghdad - long sharing rocky ties due to several fiscal and administrative disputes - have reached an “all-encompassing” agreement to resolve outstanding issues, a statement highly welcomed by Kurdish leaders such as Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, who on Tuesday said that Sudani’s “goodwill is recognized and important to restoring trust.”
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