Iraq and Spain on Thursday welcomed the UN Security Council resolution of December 22, 2023, which calls for the creation of conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities in Gaza.
The Information Office of the Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, met with the Head of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, in Baghdad, said the Prime Minister, Mohamed Chia’a Al-Sudani, met with the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, in Baghdad.
“The two presidents affirmed the excellent status of bilateral relations between the Republic of Iraq and the Kingdom of Spain, based on the historical relations between the two countries and their peoples, agreed to continue working together and further deepening bilateral relations, and decided to start contacts for a new meeting of political consultations, in order to discuss matters of common interest,” the statement said.
“RELATIONS BETWEEN IRAQ AND SPAIN HAVE WIDE DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL, INCLUDING THE AREAS OF DEFENSE, SECURITY, INFRASTRUCTURE, TRANSPORT AND WATER MANAGEMENT, AND THE TWO PRESIDENTS AGREED TO CONTINUE TO DIVERSIFY BILATERAL ECONOMIC AND TRADE RELATIONS BY ENCOURAGING SPAIN’S PARTICIPATION IN THE RECONTRUCTION OF IRAQ AND MODERNION OF IT’S ECONOMY, AND ALSO AGREED TO HOLD A MEETING OF THE JOINT ECONOMIC AND TRADE COMMITTEE (JETCO) IN BAGHDAD IN 2024, IN ORDER TO FURTHER ENHANCE BILATERAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS,” THE STATEMENT CONTINUED.
“Spain is actively contributing to non-combat international efforts to develop the capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces, both within the framework of the international coalition against ISIS (Operation Inherent Resolve) or to NATO’s efforts to defeat ISIS, and to the building of modern and well-prepared Iraqi armed forces and security institutions through the NATO Mission in Iraq (NMI) that Spain took over on May 24, 2023,” he said.
He stressed that “Iraq is committed to ensuring that international forces carry out their tasks in security and peace, and stresses that these forces exist at the request of the Iraqi government and their work is beneficial to the Iraqi people and the international community.”
“The two presidents highlighted Spain’s efforts within the EU, the G20 and the UN to promote effective multilateralism, solidarity, universal respect for human rights, the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, the empowerment of women and youth on a global scale, the promotion of peace, security and stability through dialogue, the defense of a rules-based international order, the economic support of developing countries and the fight against terrorism,” he explained.
The statement noted that “the two presidents agreed on the importance of the Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership (Baghdad Conference) as a diplomatic tool to prevent the escalation of violence in the region and as a framework to enhance regional cooperation and conflict resolution, and Spain valued the pivotal role of Iraqi efforts to facilitate the resumption of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia.”
He added that “Iraq and Spain welcome the decision of the United Nations Security Council of 22 December 2023, which calls for the creation of conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities in Gaza, and jointly calls on both countries for an immediate ceasefire for humanitarian reasons, and the two presidents believe that it is necessary to provide a credible political perspective to end the conflict on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions,” he added, continuing: “Iraq and Spain agreed to continue to work towards achieving a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in Ukraine in line with the principles of the UN Charter.”
He added that “the two presidents agreed that the climate emergency poses a direct and existential threat to the global community and human livelihoods, which requires strong and ambitious action by all countries. They expressed their concern about the impact of drought, exacerbated by climate change and the associated serious effects on their territory. Iraq and Spain discussed possibilities to enhance their cooperation in bilateral projects related to water and sanitation. Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa Al-Sudani announced that Iraq will join the International Drought Alliance (IDRA), an initiative launched by Spain and Senegal at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27), which responds to the urgent need to provide more coordinated, cooperative and effective global action to build Drought resilience at the global, regional, national and local levels, and aims to strengthen political action to support countries, cities and communities.”
He concluded by saying that “the two presidents agreed to develop their relations in the field of higher education and Spanish language education. Moreover, with regard to the promotion of the Spanish language, Spain shared its desire to revitalize the expansion of the Cervantes Institute in Baghdad, in order to launch a teacher training program,” noting that “the two presidents agreed to strengthen bilateral relations in other areas of common interest, such as cooperation in justice, anti-corruption, tourism, health, sports, historical heritage and culture.”
