Foreign Ministry Summons Lebanese Ambassador to Baghdad

The Foreign Ministry summoned the Lebanese Ambassador to Baghdad Mr. Ali Al Habhab, at the Ministry’s headquarters on Wednesday 16 April 2025, to express its dissatisfaction with the statements of the Lebanese President Joseph Aoun in a private interview to an Arab media outlet, regarding the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Iraq.

The Undersecretary of the Foreign Ministry for Bilateral Relations Ambassador Mohammed Hussein Bahr Aluloom, affirmed that the Popular Mobilization Forces is an important part of the Iraqi military security system and is a governmental and legal institution, and part of the Iraqi state system. As well he indicated that the Lebanese president’s remarks in this regard was not successful, and that it would have been better not to involve Iraq in Lebanon’s internal crisis or use an official Iraqi institution as an example in this context. 

The Undersecretary indicated that a sense of dissatisfaction prevailed among Iraqis, especially since Iraq has never hesitated to stand by Lebanon in various circumstances. He expressed his hope that the Lebanese president would correct this statement, in a way that strengthens fraternal relations between the two countries and affirms respect for the privacy of each country. 

On his part, the Lebanese Ambassador affirmed the depth of fraternal relations between Lebanon and Iraq, promising to convey the Iraqi Foreign Ministry’s position to the Lebanese president and to work to correct the situation, thus contributing to the preservation and development of bilateral relations, in addition he noted that Lebanon relies on Iraq’s role in contributing to the reconstruction of Lebanon, alongside its Arab brothers.