Iraqi President Barkham Saleh said Wednesday that no one can use Iraq as a springboard to attack other countries.
“Iraq will not be a platform to attack any neighboring nation or an arena for a new war that will drain the energy and capabilities of the nations”, – Saleh said during a meeting with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani during his visit to Baghdad. His office cited the words of the Iraqi president.
“Iraq can be a factor for mutual understanding, stability and peace between the countries of the region and world powers, and support a unified effort to overcome current crises”, – Saleh added.
For his part, the Qatari Foreign Minister pointed out the importance of coordination and joint work with regional and world powers in order to achieve a solution to maintain security and stability in the region.
Al-Thani and Saleh discussed the situation in the region and ways to defuse the situation after the U.S. struck Iraq earlier this year and killed a prominent Iranian military leader who was responsible for the Middle East file, General Kassem Soleimani. After that, the Iraqi parliament decided to withdraw American troops from the country, but U.S. President Donald Trump threatened with sanctions and demanded compensation for the establishment of the base.
In response to the murder of Soleimani, Iran attacked American bases in Iraq. Waiting for the U.S. to strike back, the Iranian military mistakenly shot down a civilian aircraft of the Ukrainian International Airlines, which caused demonstrations in Iran. After Soleimani’s assassination, Arab media and social networks reported that the U.S. El-Udeid base in Qatar was used for the strike on Iraqi territory. Last Sunday, Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani paid his first official visit to Iran since he was in power.