The French Minister of Armies, Florence Parly, met today with senior Iraqi officials in Baghdad, and stressed the need to distance Iraq from the politics of axes, and expressed her country's readiness to continue its support in the war against ISIS cells.
During her meeting with Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi this afternoon, Parly stressed, "France's determination to stand with Iraq in the war against terrorism and support the Iraqi security forces, especially since her country has participated in the international coalition in the war against ISIS."
She said, "France believes that ISIS still poses a threat to Iraq and the region, and affirmed that it will continue to confront it, noting the important role that the international coalition plays in confronting the organization, especially with regard to air support and information exchange."
Parley expressed her country's readiness to resume training efforts of Iraqi forces, which were suspended due to the Corona pandemic, as soon as possible.
For his part, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi said that the Iraqi army has been subjected to attempts to weaken it, and the government has responded to these attempts.
Al-Kazemi stressed during his meeting with Parly that "France is a partner in the war against terrorism, and Iraq is keen to develop this partnership to reach an integrated strengthening and qualification of its security capabilities, developing its combat efficiency, and enhancing the exchange of security information."
Hubs policy
Parly had met with President Barham Salih before that, and also met her Iraqi counterpart, Jumah Anad, and confirmed during a brief press conference with him, "that Iraq is a sovereign country and it must prevent interference in its internal affairs, indicating that her country supports Iraq's exclusion from the policy of axes to create stability."
And she stressed that her country is determined to continue providing support in the field of training and arming the Iraqi armed forces. This support was suspended earlier this year. Due to fears of the spread of the Corona pandemic.
But Parley stated that she had discussed the issue with her Iraqi counterpart, saying, "We are determined to strengthen Iraq's capabilities in monitoring its sky as well as enhancing the security of its land," to pursue terrorist cells that are still moving in desert areas, especially in western Iraq, stressing that "the war with ISIS has not Over yet. "
It is scheduled that the Minister of the French armies will travel later to the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Parly arrived Wednesday evening in Baghdad to express her support for the new Iraqi government facing a political, economic and health crisis, in the second visit by a French minister to Iraq within 6 weeks.
The French Army's Minister’s office had stated that Parly would focus during the visit on the major issues discussed by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian during his visit a few weeks ago, from combating ISIS to respecting the sovereignty of Iraq, where the Americans and Iranians compete.
The same source said that Parley would address in her talks with her interlocutors "Turkish interventions" on Iraqi lands, especially the air strikes against the PKK.
A source in the French Ministry of the Armed Forces said, "We have moved to a worrying level of infringing on Iraqi sovereignty," reaffirming "France's full support for Iraqi sovereignty within a complex regional balance."
In the field of combating terrorism, France constantly warns the international community of the need not to reduce its preparedness in the face of ISIS, after the US-Iranian differences since the beginning of the year and the Corona epidemic crisis have made this issue in second place.
The differences are increasing within the coalition to which France belongs, and the Europeans accuse Washington, especially, of endangering the presence of foreign forces fighting ISIS by launching unilateral raids against Shiite factions supporting Iran.