The speaker of Iraq’s Council of Representatives reacted to the call by a British diplomat on the Arab country to wean off economic reliance on Iran, saying Baghdad is not willing to part from its neighbor.
“Baghdad seeks to improve its relations with all regional countries and the international community based on shared interests, mutual respect for the countries’ sovereignty and non-interference in each other’s [domestic] affairs,” Mohammed al-Halbousi said in a meeting with Christian Turner, Britain’s deputy national security adviser, in London on Tuesday, ISNA reported, citing Iraq News Network.
Britain’s foreign office minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, had said on Sunday Iraq must reduce its economic reliance on Iran and become more energy self-sufficient.
Iraq is a major importer of Iranian natural gas and electricity, and is highly dependent on these resources to meet its energy demands.
“What is important is that Iraq finds the opportunity to follow its own future in terms of foreign relations and that its economy is strong and isn’t reliant on Iran,” Burt had told Reuters at the British Embassy in Baghdad.
Halbousi in the London meeting assured that the close Tehran-Baghdad relations would not act against Europe’s interests.
He stressed that “Iraq does not wish to be a battlefield”, but seeks to be a “common point for all parties”.
The Iraqi official also called on Britain to assist his country in post-war reconstruction efforts and engage British firms in the projects.
Western Pressure
Baghdad has refused to get involved in international conflicts, working to preserve its ties with all countries equally.
The task has become tougher for Iraq since tensions escalated after US President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions.
Iraqi President Barham Salih said in November that his country wanted to maintain “balanced” relations with all its neighbors and the international community.
Iraq’s top lawmaker has assured European states that close Tehran-Baghdad relations will not act against their interests
He said they did not want to be “burdened with the US sanctions on Iran”.
“Iran is a neighboring country and our interest lies in having good and stable relations with Iran,” he said.
Nevertheless, it has been pressured by Washington to halt its energy imports from Iran, despite a temporary waiver to find alternative sources.
Washington hopes it can help reduce Iraq’s gas flaring to satisfy domestic energy needs and rely less on Iranian power imports.
Trump’s surprise announcement about pulling American troops out of Syria heightened its allies’ concerns about the rise in Iran’s regional leverage, including its influence in Iraq which not only depends on Iranian-supplied energy, but also imports a wide range of goods from its non-Arab neighbor.
Burt said “to expect Iran to have no influence in Iraq is fanciful”, but urged the Iraqi government to reduce its dependence on Iran.
He said Iraq must convert oil resources to become more self-sufficient.
“The sooner all its oil wealth can come on stream and can capture all the energy that is sometimes not used as effectively as possible ... the better.”
