Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Holds Talks with U.S. Counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington to Enhance The Bilateral Cooperation and Strategic Partnership

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Fuad Hussein met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department in Washington, D.C. on Friday, April 25, 2025, as part of the Minister’s official visit to the United States, which began on April 24.

The Minister began the meeting by expressing his happiness for doing this visit in light of the current circumstances and major challenges which facing the region, and his aspiration to enhance the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Both sides discussed the ways to enhance the cooperation, particularly in the political, security, and economic fields. Mr. Fuad Hussein stressed the importance for enhancing the security cooperation and information exchange to combat the terrorist organizations.

Both sides also expressed their optimism regarding the future of relations, and Mr. Fuad Hussein praised the role of the United States and its leadership of the international coalition in fighting the terrorism. For his part, Minister Rubio affirmed his country’s obligation to supporting Iraq’s stability, praising the mutual efforts made in combating ISIS.

In the economic field, the Minister mentioned that Iraq has begun taking active steps toward diversifying its energy sources and reducing its dependence on imported gas. He explained that Iraq will attempt to achieve gas independence and self-sufficiency in this field within the next few years. The Minister also confirmed that Iraq has begun importing electricity from other countries and discussing importing the gas from other countries. He also called on American companies to increase investment in Iraq and contribute in its strategic projects.

In a related context, both sides discussed the ways to strengthen the economic and trade partnership, referring to the recent visit of a delegation of American companies and the private sector to Iraq and the opportunity it represents to enhance the economic cooperation between the two countries in the public and private sectors.

The Minister highlighted the significance of reevaluating the security warnings related to travel to Iraq, as these warnings negatively impact the arrival of American companies. The Minister pointed to the good security situation in Iraq and the potential for this to constitute an additional factor attracting the foreign investment. The Minister referred to some European countries that have reevaluated their security assessments. The American side expressed its understanding of this matter.

The meeting also discussed the significance of holding a new meeting of the High Committee for bilateral cooperation between Iraq and the United States during the next months of June or July to discuss all fields of cooperation based on the Strategic Framework Agreement.

The meeting also discussed the developments in the region, particularly in Syria. The Minister stressed the significance of beginning a comprehensive political process that respects the rights of all Syrian components and contributes to enhance the regional stability, referring that the stability in Syria will reflects positively on the security in Iraq. Both sides emphasized the need to deals with the sources of anxiety in Syria. The Minister also referred to the need for dealing with caution regarding the prisons under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), where approximately 10,000 of the most dangerous ISIS members are available there.

The meeting also discussed the upcoming US President’s tour of the region and the opportunities it could have to enhance the coordination and understanding on regional and international issues of common interest, that serving the regional stability.

The meeting was attended by he Ambassador of Republic of Iraq to Washington, Mr. Nizar AL-Khairallah, he Head of the Americas Department, Mr. Diyari Majeed, and The Head of Media Department, Mr. Fuad Ghazi, and the staff of Iraqi embassy in Washington