The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Angelino Alfano, met today with his Iraqi counterpart, Ibrahim Al-Eshaiker Al-Jaafari, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.
During their cordial meeting, Minister Alfano and his interlocutor discussed the excellent level of the bilateral relations between their two countries and highlighted the importance and continuity over the years of the Italian contribution to the reconstruction of the Country. “Italy is committed to fight Daesh in Iraq: we are the second largest contributor in terms of military stationed in Iraq; we have provided assistance and training to local and federal police officers as well as to Iraqi special forces; and we take care of the extraordinary maintenance operations of the Mosul dam,” Alfano explained.
Alfano also confirmed Italy’s full support to “Prime Minister Al Abadi in his efforts to establish a pluralist, non sectarian and peaceful Iraq,” and then added that “the Sunni component should be given a proper public acknowledgement and contribute actively to the stability of Iraq and the fight against Daesh.”
Minister Alfano congratulated his colleague over the liberation of Tal Afar and said: “In their fight against Daesh, we encourage the Iraqi forces to do all they can to avoid causing civilian casualties and fully respect the international law.”
At the end of the meeting, Minister Alfano said that “Italy has a long-term commitment in Iraq and has made a substantial investment in the country,” recalling that cultural heritage, agriculture, education, health, the private sector, capacity building, water-related projects and infrastructure all represent priority areas in Iraq for the Italian Cooperation Service.
