Baghdad (Iraq), January 29: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday confirmed in a phone call with Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein that Washington and Baghdad will continue the strategic dialogue soon.
A statement by the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted Blinken as saying that the new U.S. administration "is interested in the bilateral relations, and will build the pillars of dialogue based on the results of the previous rounds of the strategic dialogue."
Blinken said that the "Biden administration stands firmly with the government and people of Iraq in fighting terrorism," according to the statement.
He also confirmed U.S. support for the Iraqi economy and its readiness to strengthen partnership in various sectors, pointing out the coordination between the two governments regarding confronting the coronavirus pandemic, the statement said.
For his part, Hussein congratulated Blinken on assuming the position of top diplomat in the new U.S. administration and wished him success, stressing the importance of starting THE dialogue between the two countries.
The two also discussed several issues in the region, as well as the means to achieve regional stability, the statement added.
The phone call between the two ministers is the first since Blinken took office.
The relations between Baghdad and Washington have witnessed rising tension since Jan. 3, 2020, after a U.S. drone struck a convoy at the Baghdad airport, killing Qassem Soleimani, former commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, deputy chief of Iraq's paramilitary Hashd Shaabi forces.
The tension pushed the two sides to hold several sessions of strategic dialogue starting from last June, and the U.S. has pledged to cut its troops in the country.
Source: Xinhua