Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shi’a al-Sudani met with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday to discuss the withdrawal of coalition forces from the country.
In a statement, the prime minister’s office said that the two leaders discussed the importance of reaching an agreement on the steps to end the coalition’s mission, through bilateral talks that would ensure a smooth transition.
Al-Sudani also stressed that Iraq is “not opposed to cooperating with coalition countries in the areas of armament, training, and equipment, within the framework of the bilateral relations that unite Iraq and the countries of this coalition.”
Earlier this month, al-Sudani said that a date is being set for the start of a dialogue through a bilateral committee that was formed to put in place arrangements for the withdrawal of coalition forces from the country. He stressed that this is “a commitment that the government will not back down from, and will not compromise on anything that would jeopardize the completion of national sovereignty over Iraq’s land, air, and water.”
Dhiya al-Naseri, the media advisor to the Iraqi prime minister, told the Arab News Agency that the Baghdad government has informed the US side of the need to start negotiations on the timeline for the withdrawal of coalition forces from the country.
