With hearts filled with hope, Iraqis pray that the new year will bring an end to Gaza's plight at a time when this enclave is witnessing a comprehensive war with a risk of a regional spillover.
We have not and will not abandon the Palestinian cause. We have mentioned on several occasions that the Palestinians should have their own state with Jerusalem as its capital. Since day one of the war in the Palestinian territories, we have stood alongside Gazans by providing humanitarian aid, diplomatic and political support.
This senseless war has posed significant challenges for the entire region and the danger of expanding the area of conflict still looms over. Efforts must be united in order to prevent the Zionist entity from exploiting international support to wage a comprehensive war that engulfs the whole region.
We, as Arab and Islamic countries, must work to mobilize a regional consensus to maintain stability and prosperity for the countries and peoples of the region by deepening partnerships and consolidating common interests.
In Iraq, from the first day of this government, we have adopted the approach of productive diplomacy and established the principle of a strong and capable Iraq in cultivating foreign relations with regional countries and the international community.
Iraq ought to regain its historical and natural leadership role in the region and the world, as this is our destiny. We must assume this role until the desired development that our people yearn for is achieved. We are making exceptional efforts on several levels to improve the security and living conditions of citizens, and Iraqis have already begun to have a sense of security and stability that they lost for many decades.
We incorporated the slogan “Iraq First” in the heart of our actions and thoughts, while making crucial and important decisions. The government is constitutionally the legitimate elected representative that is responsible for formulating state policy and defending Iraq’s interests, most important of which is protecting Iraq’s sovereignty. The state must have the upper hand in not allowing any party to undermine its status and capabilities of protecting diplomatic missions, facilities and public and private properties.
During the past year, we worked to achieve five priorities in the government program, which are addressing poverty, tackling unemployment, combating financial and administrative corruption, delivering services and economic reform. We quickly sought for the Iraqis to see the achievements at these levels so that they would know that their government is serious about improving their lives and solving their problems without delay.
We will stay the course and embark on work on the decades-delayed infrastructure projects and development and rehabilitation programs for the public servants. To put the development process back on track, the government increased the pace of implementation of existing projects, which are more than 7,000, not to mention the implementation of new projects that hold high development and service values.
The government has completed the implementation of dozens of strategic and development projects, most notably the Grand Al-Faw Port and Karbala Refinery, and we have laid the foundation stone for the railway project between Basra and Shalmaja, which will enhance connectivity with neighboring Iran.
We have set in mind to move forward with the strategic Development Road project, which will make Iraq a center for global trade between the east and west of the world. In addition, there are projects of integrated network of main roads overpasses and bridges to address traffic congestion and facilitate commutation and movement from the far south to the far north.
In the gas sector, we signed contracts for the fifth licensing round and a contract with the giant French company TotalEnergies to implement four huge oil, gas and renewable energy projects. We launched the sixth licensing round, and this is largely due to our government’s efforts to end the abhorrent practice of burning gas.
The path of development and entrepreneurship makes it imperative on us to bring about fundamental reforms by cutting bureaucracy, creating an advanced investment environment for Arab and foreign investors, and establishing the Iraq Development Fund, which aims to create an integrated investment environment. In order to complete the picture, we have drawn up a strong agenda to enhance the participation of the private sector in major projects.
We faced the corruption pandemic that has been spreading its venom in Iraq over the past decades, and we have come a long way in tracking down and recovering the stolen funds and the perpetrators of these crimes that are no less dangerous than terrorism.
We have taken many measures to control the unrealistic rise in the exchange rate of the dollar against the dinar by diversifying foreign currency reserves to increase the volume of our international trade with friendly and brotherly countries.
We fulfilled our pledge to hold provincial council elections, which were held up since 2013, including the elections of Kirkuk province, which have not been held since 2005. This city is considered a miniature Iraq with its multiple components and the sensitivity of its internal political situation. This is considered a tour de force for this government as it safeguards an important constitutional pillar of the principle of decentralization.
We prepared all the security, financial and logistical requirements for the success of the elections. Indeed, on December 18, we witnessed a smooth voting process with the success of our security plan without imposing a curfew, blocking roads, or closing airports. Provincial councils are a cornerstone for any democratic decentralized system and an institution needed by local governments, which represent the second executive arm in the state after the ministries.
We also intend in the new year to conduct the first population census in Iraq for the first time since 1997, as we believe that building a strong database is the basis for accurate and successful government planning.
In the face of the great challenge of climate change, and confronting the drought that threatens Iraq, we have formulated a climate strategy that extends to 2030 and will include reducing gas emissions to minimize environmental damage and motivate farmers to use modern irrigation techniques and the use of renewable energies. Iraq had a remarkable and important presence at COP28 in Dubai.
Since swearing in, our mission has not been easy, as the challenges required from us, and remain to demand perseverance, endurance, determination, and above all, an undoubted belief in Iraq’s greatness and its deservingness to be a leading prosperous country in the Middle East and the world.
Iraqis are eagerly awaiting the chimes of bells of the new year, and with the same vigor and determination, we will continue the process of development, peace and entrepreneurship that we have begun. Iraq will always remain an impenetrable barrier to those who wish to disrupt this process. Happy new year to Iraqis, Gazans, Palestinians, the peoples of the Arab nation, and the world.
