SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi met with a NATO delegation led by Assistant Secretary General for Operations John Manza in Baghdad on Tuesday.
Kadhimi and the delegation discussed cooperation between Iraq and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as well as the role of NATO mission in supporting Iraq in its war against terrorism, the premier’s office said in a statement.
They also discussed the role which NATO plays in raising military capabilities of the Iraqi military within the framework of training and advice, the statement read.
Kadhimi affirmed the “government’s endeavor to enhance relations between Iraq and NATO and the importance of enhancing it to a new beginning, confining to non-combat fields in line with the requirements of the Iraqi government and respect for the country’s sovereignty,” his office said.
NATO has had a non-combat, “train-and-advise” mission in Baghdad since October 2018 but plans to expand it were delayed, in part, by COVID-19 and also due to concerns about regional stability after a U.S. drone killed a top Iranian commander in Baghdad on Jan. 3. 2020.
Currently, the NATO mission only trains and advises members of the Iraqi security institutions and forces who are under the direct control of the Iraqi government.
