2 February 2023
Madam President,
I join all my colleagues in congratulating the delegation of Japan on its very successful, very professional presidency of the Security Council in January and in wishing you, Madam President, all the best for your presidency this month. You can count on our full support.
I thank the Special Representative for her comprehensive briefing and I thank Dr. Ahmed for his briefing. I would also like to welcome the presence of the Permanent Representative of Iraq. For my part, I would like to emphasize four points.
First, this Council has a duty to support the stability and security of Iraq.
France reiterates its commitment to Iraq’s sovereignty and to the stability of the autonomous Kurdistan Region within it. At the end of December, French President Emmanuel Macron visited Jordan on the occasion of the second Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership. He reaffirmed, alongside the countries of the region, the importance of strengthening Iraq’s security and supporting the democratic and constitutional processes underway.
Madam President,
France condemns all violations of Iraqi sovereignty. Iraq is not a place for settling scores between regional powers, as the Iraqi authorities have repeatedly stated. We call on the relevant actors to stop interfering in Iraq’s internal affairs.
Iraq must continue to play a positive role at the regional level.
France welcomes the balanced regional diplomacy led by Iraq, which is enabling key countries in the region to resume dialogue. We welcome the Iraqi Prime Minister’s efforts in this direction. The participants in the second Baghdad Conference unanimously promoted dialogue as a means of resolving regional disputes. Future meetings in this format will follow.
A credible regional dialogue is also the first step towards cooperation based on joint projects that will promote the economic integration of the region and, in particular, make it possible to respond to climate and environmental challenges.
I would also like to stress the importance of cooperation between Iraq and Kuwait on the issue of missing Kuwaitis and third-country nationals. We encourage both states to continue their dialogue on this issue.
Madam President,
Iraq’s partners also have a responsibility to accompany it in the implementation of all necessary reforms.
France is a strategic partner and ally of Iraq. This partnership took concrete form during the official visit to Paris on January 26 and 27 by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Chia Al-Soudani, with the signing of a strategic partnership treaty between our two countries.
France stands ready to accompany Iraq in the implementation of the reforms expected by the Iraqi people. One concrete example of this commitment was the signing of a memorandum of understanding by the Federal Integrity Commission of the Republic of Iraq with the French anti-corruption agency in order to structure our cooperation in this area.
France also calls for the resumption of a constructive dialogue between Baghdad and Erbil, particularly with regard to security and the sharing of revenues from oil resources. The revival of cooperation between the federal authorities and the autonomous region is essential, and we are willing to facilitate exchanges.
Madam President,
The last few weeks have shown the persistence of the terrorist threat.
On December 20, the Council condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Iraq. France salutes Iraq’s courageous fight against Daesh. Together with its partners in the international coalition against Daesh, France will continue to stand by Iraq in its fight against terrorism, with full respect for Iraqi sovereignty, for as long as necessary and as long as Iraq requests.
Thank you.