Strong Iraq Crucial For Stability In Middle East - Foreign Minister

Strong Iraq Crucial for Stability in Middle East - Foreign Minister

A strong Iraq is among the major factors of stability in the Middle East, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Alhakim said on Thursday at the Mediterranean Dialogues (MED) forum in Rome.

ROME (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd November, 2018) A strong Iraq is among the major factors of stability in the middle East, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Ali Alhakim said on Thursday at the Mediterranean Dialogues (MED) forum in Rome.

"So, it is not a good idea for us to be weak. A strong Iraq today is really a stabilizer in the area ... The stability of Iraq is very crucial. Iraq is a core Arab country in the East side," Alhakim said.

The minister noted that six countries share a border with Iraq, but they have different relations with their neighbor.

Baghdad, however, maintains good relations with Iran and Turkey, Alhakim added.

Iraq has long been suffering from activities of various terrorist groups. In 2014, vast territories of the Middle Eastern state were occupied by the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, outlawed in Russia). The Iraqi army has successfully fought back against IS in 2017. In December 2017, then Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi declared an end to the country's struggle against IS as Iraqi troops re-established complete control over the country's Syrian border.