Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani praised Saudi Arabia’s leading role in the region, emphasizing the importance of developing relations between the two countries in various fields, including electrical interconnection.
During a press conference following the weekly Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the Iraqi premier said that his country was “keen on building balanced relations with brothers and friends.”
He continued: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is an important country in the region, and Iraq has historical relations with it,” pointing to initiatives and activities launched by the previous governments, and at the level of the two countries’ Supreme Coordination Council.
Regarding the electrical interconnection project, which was concluded by the government of former Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, Al-Sudani said: “More than one proposal can be activated in a way that develops the relationship on the economic side, and unifies positions and coordination towards various issues that concern the stability of the region.”
On Iraq’s relationship with OPEC, the Iraqi prime minister stressed that his country was keen on the stability of oil prices, noting that the level of supply and demand should not affect growth rates and prices in general.
However, he stated that Iraq was open to dialogue on the rates of production and prices.
“Iraq is a member and a founding country of the Organization (OPEC); it is also the third country at the level of production by 4.650 million barrels per day,” he remarked.
Sudani added that his country believes it necessary to reconsider its share of production for several reasons, mainly because it is the third country at the level of organization, amid an increasing population that touched 41 million people.
Regarding the relationship with the Kurdistan region, where the regional government intends to send a delegation to Baghdad to solve outstanding problems between the two parties, Al-Sudani said: “The intention, the will and determination to solve the problems with the Kurdistan region of Iraq are all there.”
He pointed in this context to the political agreement and the extensive discussions and meetings between the two sides.
He stated that the ministerial policy statement has defined a roadmap to address a number of issues including the border crossings, security services, the Peshmerga, previous fees and dues, the budget law, as well as the oil and gas law.
