In Baghdad, Macron supports Iraq's sovereignty in the face of "interference"

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday affirmed in Baghdad his support for Iraq's “sovereignty” in the face of “foreign interference” which is weakening this country, which is subject to strong tensions between its two allies, Washington and Tehran.

"Supporting the sovereignty process"

Coming from Beirut, the head of state also assured that France would continue "to act alongside" Iraq in the fight against the jihadists, which "is not over even if we have defeated the caliphate" of the Islamic State (IS) group in 2017. "Iraq has been going through a period of challenge for several years, marked by war and terrorism," said Emmanuel Macron, starting his first visit to this country since his election in 2017. "You have a transition to lead" and France wishes "fully" to support it, he added after an interview with Iraqi President Barham Saleh.

The French president spent only a few hours in Baghdad, the time to meet the main political leaders, including the new Prime Minister Moustafa al-Kazimi.

In addition to bilateral relations between the two countries, he discussed the means to "accompany the process of sovereignty" of Iraq.

Baghdad is faced with "the challenge of multiple external interference, whether it dates back several years or is more recent," the French president said.

Faced with these interferences, "the challenge for the authorities is to strengthen the Iraqi state, to provide educational, economic and social responses, to continue reforming the army and to integrate all the military components and militias into it today. hui present in Iraq, "he said.

"These challenges are playing out in an extraordinarily tense regional context, with a very strong Iranian presence and influence, and with repeated incursions and increased willingness by Turkey to intervene more in Iraqi domestic life."

"We do not want to be a place of confrontation, but of stability and moderation," said Moustafa al-Kazimi for his part.

>> READ ALSO -

 Iraq: Washington will reduce its troops "in the coming months"

A vise between Washington and Tehran

Iraq has been trapped for years between its two most influential partners, Washington and Tehran, a position that has become even more difficult to maintain from 2018 with the campaign of "maximum pressure" exerted by the United States of Donald Trump against Iran.

In recent years, the United States has gradually withdrawn from Iraq.

President Donald Trump reaffirmed his desire to withdraw US troops from Iraq on August 21, but without specifying a timetable.

Some 5,000 American soldiers and diplomats are still deployed there.

For Emmanuel Macron, the international community has an “interest” in supporting the Iraqi government's “project” to carry out reforms and diversify its economy in order to respond to the powerful popular protest movement.

Mustafa al-Kazimi should go to Paris "in a month" to deepen these questions, Emmanuel Macron said.