Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih Zaidi met with US President Donald Trump at the White House.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih Zaidi made his first foreign visit to the USA after taking office. Zaidi met with US President Donald Trump at the White House in the capital Washington DC. Zaydi, who made a statement to the press with Trump after the meeting, stated that his visit was not just a diplomatic visit and said, "This visit is carried out with the aim of starting the new era of the strategic partnership between Iraq and the USA and increasing the investments of American companies in the Iraqi market."
Reminding that Iraq is one of the founding members of OPEC, Zaidi stated that his country paid a heavy price in the fight against terrorism and said, "We want a fair oil production quota for Iraq. Our infrastructure suffered great damage due to the fight against terrorism."
Reminding that the term of office of the US-led International Coalition established against the terrorist organization DAESH will end at the end of September, Zaidi said that the Iraqi security forces are ready to completely take over the security of the country. Stating that some armed groups have started to surrender their weapons to the state, Zaidi said, "We will determinedly continue our policy that weapons should only be in the hands of the state. We are ready to cooperate with all parties who want to participate in the political process."
Stating that Iraq suffered an economic loss exceeding 400 billion dollars due to terrorism, Zaidi said that they aim to ensure the return of all displaced citizens to their homes.
Making an evaluation about the Iraqi Kurdish Regional Government (KRG), Zaydi said, "KRG is an integral part of Iraq. I cannot cut off a part of my body."
Zaidi will hold contacts for 7 days in the USA, where he will come with a large delegation consisting of ministers, senior officials and business people. -WASHINGTON