Iraqi defense official:

Regional coop., not foreign intervention, can resolve ME issues

TEHRAN (defapress) – General Secretary of Iraq Defense Ministry said Monday that the current issues in the Middle East can only be settled through regional cooperation, not by foreign intervention.

News ID: 67980

Date: 08 January 2018 - 13:19

General Secretary of Iraq Defense Ministry, Lieutenant General Muhammad Jawad Khadum Al-Abadi, made the remark in the first specialized session of the 2nd Tehran Security Conference that kicked off in the Iranian capital on Monday.

The session was held under the motto of “Regional Security Order in West Asia; Role of the Islamic Republic of Iran and Transregional Actors”, with participation of more than 200 Iranian and foreign political dignitaries and analysts from 49 Asian and European countries.

During the session, the Iraqi official discussed the situation in Iraq, noting the presence of terrorist forces from over 20 countries on Iraqi soil, saying “no one can even begin to comprehend the depth of destruction and damages that ISIL caused for the Iraqi nation.”

He went on to hail the Popular Mobilization Forces of Iraq, also known as Al-Hashd Al-Sha'abi, as instrumental in defeating ISIL and saving Iraq, calling it a ‘sacred’ mobilization.

He also thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for standing by the Iraqi nation and the support that history will never forget.

The Iraqi defense official called on regional actors to define a full-on security for the Middle East region, based on regional cooperation and devoid of any foreign intervention.

He further noted the Iran-Iraq-Syria-Russia quadrilateral coalition in the fight against terrorism, saying “the coalition had remarkable and effective results. We think all countries in the region should adopt the same strategic viewpoint.”

“Once regional countries stop reaching out to foreign powers for help and instead concentrate their efforts on cooperation among themselves, the region will achieve stability,” he stressed.