Undersecretary for Political Planning Meets Deputy Chief of U.S. Mission in Baghdad

Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Political Planning Ambassador Dr. Hisham Al Alawi, received in his office Ms. Elizabeth Trudeau Deputy Chief of Mission at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, accompanied by a number of the Embassy staff.
The two sides discussed the great success and high visibility of the Foreign Ministry’s Century Anniversary Celebration, and the graduation ceremony of new diplomats from Diplomatic Qualification Course No. 28, which the Ministry supervised the organization of it the Grand Celebrations Square.
As well the two sides affirmed the importance of bilateral relations between the two countries, and the need to strengthen them by expanding areas of cooperation within the framework of the Strategic Framework Agreement. Additionally, Undersecretary Al Alawi indicated the importance of developing bilateral cooperation to include building partnerships in the fields of education and culture, by expanding programs for sending Iraqi students to American universities, and enhancing academic cooperation between the two sides through twinning programs with American universities. Dr. Al Alawi also underlined the importance of cultural cooperation and activating soft diplomacy, calling on the US Embassy to participate in field visits by diplomatic missions accredited to Iraq to the governorates of Najaf and Karbala, given their religious, cultural and historical importance, referring to the ministry’s intention to organize the second forum for religious and cultural diplomacy in Najaf Governorate, coinciding with the anniversary of Pope Francis’ visit to the governorate.
Undersecretary, Al Alawi touched on the priorities of the Foreign Ministry within the framework of implementing its government program for the years 2023-2025, which falls within its responsibilities, stressing the importance of coordinating foreign policies to achieve strategic goals. Dr. Al Alawi expressed the willingness of the Political Planning Department to cooperate with its American counterpart to benefit from the advanced expertise and experiences of the active institutions within the US government.
The two sides also discussed the possibility of organizing consultative courses and workshops in the United States to develop the skills of the advanced diplomatic staff in the ministry.
The meeting also discussed the successes achieved during the Prime Minister’s visits to a number of countries, the most recent of which was his visit to the United Kingdom, which contributed to expanding the horizons of bilateral cooperation and signing several agreements between the two countries.
Regarding the Syrian file, the two sides exchanged views on the importance of forming a comprehensive Syrian government that includes all components, nationalities and minorities, with the necessity of not marginalizing any category of the Syrian people. They also stressed the importance of combating extremism and terrorism, and finding solutions for the camps of the displaced, especially Al-Hol camp.
