SULAIMANI (ESTA) — U.S. President Joe Biden will host Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi at the White House on July 26, a spokesperson said on Friday.
“President Biden looks forward to welcoming the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, to the White House on July 26,” White House Spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Psaki said the visit would highlight the strategic partnership between the two countries and advance bilateral cooperation under a 2008 agreement that governed the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq.
The two leaders would also discuss education, health, cultural, energy and climate, she added.
“President Biden also looks forward to strengthening bilateral cooperation with Iraq on political, economic, and security issues to include joint efforts to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS,” she stated.
A source in the Iraqi prime minister’s office told Sky News Arabia on July 10 that Kadhimi received invitation from the U.S. two weeks ago to visit Washington at the end of this month.
On Thursday, White House Coordinator for the Middle East and North Africa Brett McGurk met with Kadhimi and Iraqi President Barham Salih in Baghdad.
Kadhimi and McGurk discussed preparations for the next round of strategic dialogue between Iraq and the United States, the premier’s office said.
They also discussed “mechanisms for the withdrawal of combat forces in Iraq and the transition to a new stage of strategic cooperation that develops the relationship between the two countries and enhances Iraq’s security and sovereignty”, the statement read.
Iraq and the United States began their strategic dialogue in June 2020 under former U.S. President Donald Trump administration.
In the third round of talks in April, the United States agreed to remove remaining combat forces deployed to fight Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Iraq.
Efforts to continue the strategic dialogue come as U.S. forces stationed in Iraq come under continued rocket and drone attacks.
The attacks have increased since the United States carried out airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia groups last month.
Iraqi militia groups aligned with Iran vowed to retaliate after U.S. strikes on the Iraqi-Syrian border killed four of their members.
The United States told the U.N. Security Council that it targeted Iranian-backed militia in Syria and Iraq with air strikes to deter them and Tehran from conducting or supporting further attacks on U.S. personnel or facilities.
Iran denied supporting attacks on U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria and condemned U.S. air strikes on Iranian-backed groups.
