Eduardo González
Spain and Iraq are finalizing the details of a bilateral military memorandum of understanding within the framework of the comprehensive partnership that the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, addressed with the Prime Minister of Iraq, Mohamed Shiá Al Sudani, during his recent visit to Baghdad.
This was announced yesterday by the Ministry of Defense and the office of the Prime Minister of Iraq at the end of a meeting between Minister Margarita Robles and Al Sudani on the occasion of the two-day working visit made by the Minister of Defense to Baghdad.
According to Robles – cited by the Department of Ella’s website -, the Ministries of Defense of the two countries are trying to finalize a bilateral memorandum of understanding that would cover military and security cooperation and collaboration in the field of military industries. This agreement, according to the Iraqi prime minister’s office, “is part of the comprehensive partnership that was discussed with the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, during his recent visit to Baghdad.”
On the other hand, Al Sudani thanked Robles for “Spain’s role within the efforts of the NATO Mission in Iraq (NMI)” and assured that his Government’s decision to end the international coalition’s mission in Iraq “derives from the advanced capabilities of the Iraqi forces in the fight against terrorism, and that what remains of the ISIS terrorists no longer represent a threat to the Iraqi state,” the statement from the prime minister’s office continued, reproduced through the website of the Spanish Ministry of Defense.
In this regard, Robles explained that there is still no date for the end of the mission, but, in any case, it will be “the result of dialogue and there will be an organized transition,” because “they are aware that there cannot be an abrupt end, On the contrary, it has to be a calm, calm ending that leaves the doors open for the future and always working bilaterally.” The NATO Training Mission will continue, the minister said.
During the meeting between the prime minister and the Spanish minister, “the potential contribution of Spanish companies to projects aimed at modernizing Iraqi infrastructure and improving development initiatives” was explored, and Al Sudani thanked “Spain’s position in the face of aggression against Gaza and its support for efforts to reach a ceasefire and end the genocide against the Palestinian people.”
