New US presidential envoy to Iraq Mark Savaya stressed on Saturday that his mission aims to restore trust and bolster the strategic partnership between Baghdad and Washington.
In remarks to the Chaldean Press, he said: “I want to make Iraq great again.”
Relations between the US and Iraq are passing through a critical phase, which demands direct and honest communication that serves the peoples of both countries, he went on to say.
He added that the US is not seeking to impose an agenda on Iraq, saying that the Iraqi government is independent and can make its own sovereign decisions.
As envoy to Iraq, he will work with all political, religious and economic parties to ensure a stable and prosperous Iraq can be a real partner to the US, away from regional conflicts, he stated.
Savaya is the third American envoy to Iraq since the 2003 US invasion. Paul Bremer was appointed after the invasion and Brett McGurk during the fight against ISIS in 2014.
Savaya, who was born in Iraq, added that the country boasts massive human and economic capabilities, which should they be invested properly, can allow the country to become a regional hub for development and stability. “I want to make Iraq great again,” he declared.
He will soon visit Baghdad to deliver a clear message that Washington is committed to supporting a strong and unified Iraq and that a new chapter in relations with the US has indeed started.
US President Donald Trump announced Savaya’s appointment on October 19. “Mark’s deep understanding of the Iraq-US relationship and his connections in the region will help advance the interests of the American people,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Savaya was a key player in the Michigan campaign who helped secure a record Muslim American vote during Trump’s reelection, he noted.
Savaya’s appointment has stirred debate in Iraq as it took place weeks before the country heads to parliamentary elections on November 11. The polls are witnessing a fierce competition among the ruling Iran-backed Shiite Coordination Framework,
Meanwhile, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies warned that Iraq was at a “difficult crossroads” given the state of lawlessness and that “the politics of the gun - and not the ballot box - play too great a role,” citing the spate of political assassinations that have rocked the country.
On October 15, an IED tore through a vehicle in Baghdad’s northern outskirts, killing Safaa al-Mashhadani, a candidate in the parliamentary elections. Three days later, gunmen opened fire on the office of another candidate, Muthanna al-Azzawi, 25 kilometers south of the capital, wounding two bodyguards, it said.
“So far, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has ordered a probe into the assassination, while authorities announced the arrest of five suspects. Past precedent offers little optimism for justice. For years, Baghdad has sought to play a good-cop-bad-cop routine, enabling militias to terrorize Iraq and the region while also claiming to investigate their crimes,” it added.
The November 11 elections are seen as a test of the government's ability to protect the democratic process and put an end to political violence, while observers are waiting the results that will determine where Iraq will be positioned given the changes sweeping the region.
