President Rashid Receives King Charles III's Written Message

 
Baghdad-INA
 
Iraqi President Abdullatif Jamal Rashid receives King Charles III's written message.
 
 
A statement by the Presidency of the Republic, received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), stated:"The President of the Republic of Iraq, Abdullatif Jamal Rashid and Iraq's First Lady, Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed met with Her Royal Highness, Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh alongside her delegation, including the UK Ambassador to Iraq, Mr. Mark Bryson-Richardson, at the Baghdad Palace".
 The statement added, “Her Royal Highness delivered King Charles III's written message for President Rashid from Britain’s monarch.In the message, Britain's King Charles III expressed gratitude to His Excellency for attending the coronation ceremony taking place at Westminster Abbey in London earlier this month.”
 
King Charles emphasized that" The relationship between the UK and Iraq is long and historic, and unique." " I hope that during my reign our countries will build on our historical links to create a modern partnership through which we can work together to address challenges that matter to us all, including climate change, international security and human rights." He added.
 
According to the statement, King Charles affirmed,"Britain's Monarch said that" My thoughts and prayers have been with the people of Iraq who have endured so much, most recently at the hands of Daesh and other terrorist groups," while noting that " Your effort to support those populations which have been so drastically affected is greatly appreciated. The UK stands beside Iraq as a friend and ally in order to support the peace, prosperity and security of all Iraqi people."
 
 
President Rashid and Iraq's First Lady, Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed asked the Duchess of Edinburgh, Her Royal Highness Sophie to convey their greetings to King Charles III, and extended a message to the British, wishing them further progress and prosperity, and welcomed Her Royal Highness's visit to Iraq, wishing her a blessed visit.
 
While speaking about the close relationships between Iraq and the UK, President Rashid emphasized how best it is to promote these ties in various areas of common concern, which would be in both nations' interests.
 
  Iraq's cities are experiencing peace and stability, and the security situation is looking up, Iraq's Abdullatif Jamal Rashid went on to note that plans have been set in motion by the government through an ambitious program, to build schools and hospitals, rehabilitate the country's basic infrastructure as well as improve the standards of living and raise the level of services. Efforts are made to pass the federal budget as soon as possible and implement the government program, He added.
 
The president also spoke about the situation of internally displaced persons, and the humanitarian sufferings that they faced, and there is limited access to health, education and essential services, and it is therefore, they have had rough days. In addition, he underlined that the issue of displaced people should be addressed once and for all, and they must be allowed to return to their homes after their villages, towns and cities are rehabilitated in addition to implementing the Sinjar agreement. Meanwhile, he asserted the importance of rendering better public services for all Iraqi citizens, expressing hope that the UN, which is in charge of the file of displacement, will make further efforts that are aligned with the scale of the tragedy of the displaced people.
 
First Lady Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed spoke about childhood, and she said that there are children, who are residents of the displaced camps, and they have had rough days, and have no family, relatives, or their private habitats, where most of these children are from the Yazidi people. Although the UN has set programs to rehabilitate displaced families and children, unfortunately, these were hindered by bureaucratic procedures.
 
Her Royal Highness, Sophie the Duchess of Edinburgh thanked President Rashid and the First Lady for the warm welcome during her visit.
 
The statement continued,"It is therefore, she was delighted to visit Iraq, and she affirmed her readiness to underpin the bonds of friendship and bilateral cooperation between Iraq and the UK".
 
President Rashid's leadership and wisdom are paramount in addressing the issue of displacement and allowing the displaced people to return home after housing construction would be made for them, the Duchess of Edinburgh said.
 
On the other hand, she hailed the efforts made by His Excellency President Rashid to recover loaned ancient artifacts previously taken by Britain for study.
 
 Meanwhile, His Excellency President Rashid invited the Duchess to visit the national museum.
 
The President and the First Lady gave Her Royal Highness a gift for her efforts to promote relations between Iraq and the UK, and so she expressed thanks and appreciation for this generous initiative.
 
The text of King Charles III's message follows:
 
 
Buckingham Palace
  May 18, 2023
 
Dear Mr. President,
 
I would like to extend my warmest greetings to you and the people of Iraq. I am most grateful to you for your kind letter on the occasion of Noruz celebrations and for representing Iraq at my Coronation in London earlier this month. The relationship between the UK and Iraq is long and historic and unique in the region. I hope that during my reign our countries will build on our historical links to create a modern partnership through which we can work together to address challenges that matter to us all, including climate change, international security and human rights. My thoughts and prayers have been with the people of Iraq who have endured so much, most recently at the hands of Daesh and other terrorist groups. Your effort to support those populations which have been so drastically affected is greatly appreciated and I do hope that they will be able to access meaningful justice, having suffered so terribly.
 
I have long been eager to see us work towards freedom of religion or belief for everyone, everywhere. The UK stands beside Iraq as a friend and ally in order to support the peace, prosperity and security of all Iraqi people. I look forward to our two countries working together to achieve this.
 
 Most sincerely,
Charles R