“Over the past week, we held a series of important meetings, met with President Biden, and discussed implementing the Strategic Framework Agreement to build a strong bilateral relationship,” Sudani said during a discussion at the Atlantic Council, referring to the 2009 agreement that seeks to normalize Baghdad-Washington relations through long-term bilateral economic, diplomatic, cultural, and security cooperation.
“We found a positive atmosphere in the understandings, laying the groundwork for the next phase,” he said.
Sudani arrived in Washington on Saturday, marking his first visit to the US as prime minister. He was received by Biden in the Oval Office on Monday when the two reaffirmed their commitment to comprehensive cooperation in line with the Strategic Framework Agreement.
Iraq is frequently caught between Washington and neighboring Tehran and Sudani said that balance is key to Baghdad’s foreign policy.
“Our foreign policy is drawn on the basis of balance, distancing from axis politics, and employing productive diplomacy to build shared interests with neighboring and international communities,” he said. “Our aim is to make Iraq a meeting point, not a battleground.”
Iraq has been the location of tit-for-tat strikes between the US and pro-Iran militias angry over Washington’s support for Israel in its war against the Gaza Strip. The strikes culminated in an Iraqi government decision to expel forces of the US-led global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS), a process that is ongoing via discussions between their militaries.
“We agreed on the importance of continuing dialogue between Iraq and the United States through the Higher Military Commission,” Sudani said about the talks.
Baghdad’s language has been clear that the commission’s aim is to bring an end to the presence of the coalition forces in the country, while Washington has described the step as a “transition” in the coalition’s role.
Around 2,500 American troops in Iraq and 900 in Syria are leading an international coalition that has assisted Kurdish, Iraqi, and Syrian forces in the fight against ISIS. The troops have come under attack dozens of times since Israel began its war in Gaza last October, but the attacks have been paused since early February.
“Iraqis have triumphed over the most brutal terrorist organization, a victory that united the Iraqi people,” Sudani said, referring to ISIS.
ISIS seized control of swathes of Iraqi territory in 2014 and was declared territorially defeated in 2017. However, it continues to carry out bombings, hit-and-run attacks, and abductions in several Iraqi provinces, especially the disputed territories between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) that stretch across the provinces of Kirkuk, Nineveh, Salahaddin, and Diyala.
Sudani also touched on meetings with US companies in Washington aimed at developing Iraq’s energy sector, including plans for oil fields and ways to deal with associated gas.
“We met representatives of American companies operating in Iraq and others interested in entering the Iraqi market,” he said. “We are committed to economic reform and attracting reputable companies to work in Iraq.”
On Wednesday, the Iraqi government signed 18 Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with American firms in various fields, primarily oil, gas, and automobile manufacturing.
On Saturday, Sudani met with Iraqi embassy staff in Washington. He “urged the embassy team to exert more effort and prioritize Iraq’s service and reputation in every action and step taken,” according to a statement from his office.
Iraqi PM Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani visits the Iraqi Embassy in Washington and directs embassy staff to follow up on agreements signed with American officials and provide quality services to the Iraqi community in the US.
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) April 20, 2024
📸: Sudani's office pic.twitter.com/FrmrofN3pp
Kidnapping of Elizabeth Tsurkov
During the event at the Atlantic Council, Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov’s sister Emma lashed out at Sudani for failing to secure the release of her sister who was kidnapped in Iraq over a year ago, allegedly by the pro-Iran Kataib Hezbollah armed group.
.@emma_tsurkov to @mohamedshia during an event held by @AtlanticCouncil. She’s demanding the Iraqi government to help secure the release of her sister @Elizrael who has been kidnapped in Iraq by Kataib Hezbollah pic.twitter.com/LguIqb8gMG
— Sirwan Kajjo (@SirwanKajjo) April 19, 2024
In response, Sudani said that Baghdad “has an investigative team that is following up on all aspects of this crime” and that “we are getting close to pinpointing her location.”
“I promise the lady [Emma] that we will follow up and cooperate with all the security apparatuses in our country and neighboring countries to find out exactly what happened to” Elizabeth, Sudani stressed.
In July of last year, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Kataib Hezbollah of Elizabeth’s kidnapping, saying she was still alive and had visited Iraq on her Russian passport. Israel held Baghdad responsible for her safety.
Iraq maintains a hardline stance against Israel. The Iraqi parliament in May 2022 passed a law criminalizing all relations with Israel and making it punishable by death. The law requires all officials, including those in the Kurdistan Region, government institutions, and media to refrain from establishing relations with Israel.
