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LONDON: Iraq used its address at the UN General Assembly on Friday to set out its vision for a future in which the country forms the heart of a new network of economic cooperation across the Middle East.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi told the UNGA in New York that the country\u2019s authorities are working to create an environment in which more people could invest in Iraq, noting that the region would be stronger with more neighbors cooperating rather than competing.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur government is working to develop gas fields and expand refining capacities, and our capacities to produce derivatives, and we\u2019re also working to improve our petrochemical industry capacities,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur ambition is for Iraq to be a global hub for energy production, and to leverage its potential to promote regional and international security and stability in a sustainable manner.\u201d<\/p>\n
Talking up his country\u2019s vast natural resources, agricultural opportunities and strategic location, Al-Zaidi came with a message to UN members: \u201cInvest in Iraq.\u201d<\/p>\n
He noted that the country\u2019s emergence as a global energy hub cooperating with its neighbors would bring benefits across the region, especially given the current turmoil facing global energy markets.<\/p>\n
Al-Zaidi said: \u201cWe express concern regarding the developments concerned with freedom of transport and maritime navigation, and the crisis this has caused in terms of the rise in global energy prices.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn order to contain the subsequent risks and the consequences for our peoples, we\u2019re working to diversify our oil export ports and develop energy lines and corridors linking Iraq, Turkiye, Jordan and Syria in order to reach global markets with the aim of contributing to energy security and diversifying supply routes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cWe want for this partnership to be open to all our neighbors and friends … When the countries of the region are connected through ports, railways, power lines, trade and investment, they have a greater interest in preserving stability.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stability, Al-Zaidi said, is a \u201cshared responsibility\u201d of the international community, and \u201ctrue stability isn\u2019t built through wars, but through common interests that make cooperation more feasible than conflict.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that Iraq\u2019s goal is to see Middle East nations move \u201cfrom competition to cooperation,\u201d stating: \u201cWe extend our hands to everyone on the basis of respect for sovereignty, non-interference, good neighborliness, strengthening mutual interests and adopting dialogue as a means to address differences.\u201d<\/p>\n
But he warned that peace and stability cannot be achieved until the Palestinian issue is resolved.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere will be no room for security in the Middle East without a just solution for this issue, and without establishing the right of the Palestinian people to their land, to self-determination and to establishing their sovereign state.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe stress here the paramount importance of facilitating humanitarian access and the protection of civilians.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that security extends beyond conflicts, encompassing a robust response to organized crime, fighting corruption, securing borders and halting the activities of armed groups operating beyond government control.<\/p>\n
But, he said, one of the key threats facing nations such as Iraq is climate change. \u201cThe security we seek isn\u2019t limited to halting conflicts, but rather includes confronting climate change, the effects of desertification and water scarcity. These are challenges that Iraq faces that affect its food security,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, we affirm that we hold steadfastly onto our just and legitimate water rights, and we call for the joint management of water resources in accordance with the principles of cooperation and international law.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al-Zaidi thanked the UN for its role in the reconstruction of Iraq, adding: \u201cWe underscore our commitment to fostering productive cooperation with the organization, and wish it success in its endeavors to mitigate the effects of wars and the consequences of conflict around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the government is taking steps to utilize one of its most vital resources in efforts to reassert itself: its young population.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe well-being of the Iraqi people remains our ultimate objective and the focus of all of our efforts,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven the high proportion of young people in our society, we seek to make them a true driving force of the future economy through education, the diversification of employment opportunities, support for entrepreneurship and the advancement of the digital economy.\u201d<\/p>\n
He concluded: \u201cWe say Iraq has never been on the margins, rather it\u2019s the heart of history beating in the modern world. Iraq is a nation worthy of partnership as we move toward the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n