US Assistant Secretary of State: We support the prime minister in reforming the economy and improving services

Baghdad-INA  
US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Barbara Leaf confirmed today, Tuesday, her country's support for the vision of Prime Minister Muhammad Shia al-Sudani in reforming the economy, improving services, combating corruption, and strengthening Iraq's relations with its regional environment.
 
 
Leaf said during a table discussion attended by the correspondent of the Iraqi News Agency (INA): "There is a clear dynamic in the government's work and a continuous quest to find a good economic situation, and Prime Minister Muhammad Shia' al-Sudani started with economic reform, and it is an effort that takes years and we support it."
She added, "The bilateral relations between the United States and Iraq are good and are governed by the bilateral strategic agreement, which included all aspects of cooperation, especially security, within the framework of the war on terrorism, and now cooperation is being strengthened in the educational and cultural aspects."
  "We support the prime minister's vision of improving services, and he has a clear agenda in his government program and his priorities are of importance towards a secure and stable Iraq. Likewise, there is a parallel effort by the prime minister and his government to combat corruption." Leaf said.
She continued, "I met the Prime Minister yesterday and we discussed bilateral relations and ways to develop it, and the priorities he mentioned are the same priorities that we believe are important in Iraq, and he seeks to strengthen relations between Iraq and its regional environment, and this is a good thing, and Iraq today is not the same as before and is currently contributing to strengthening the region's security and stability."
On the economic side, she pointed out that "the Iraqi government is called upon to strengthen the private sector, support small and medium enterprises, and provide transparency and balance in the market."
  Regarding the exchange rate file, Leaf stressed that "the United States has no role in determining the exchange rate of dollar, and there has always been a dialogue between the US Treasury, the Iraqi Ministry of Finance, and the Central Bank by providing advice in line with international standards, and we currently see that there is stability in the exchange rate”.
Leaf pointed out, "Iraq needs to bypass the restriction of its economy with oil and expand its prospects for other resources to get out of the rentier economy."
On the issue of water, the US Assistant Secretary of State said, "I was allowed the opportunity to talk about water-related matters with the President of the Republic and the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the context of the diplomatic efforts exerted, and we believe that it is necessary to discuss this file with the upstream countries, Turkey and Iran, at length, especially with all parties suffering from the effects of climate change to reach to satisfactory solutions for all parties.
 "We heard that the Ministry of Water Resources will hold talks with the Turkish side, and there are efforts by the Iraqi government that focus on solving the file diplomatically, as well as through strategic plans, and the United States supports Iraq in this aspect." Barbara said.