Iraq

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

I begin by extending to Mrs. Annalena Baerbock my sincere congratulations on her presidency of the United Nations General Assembly in its eightieth session, and I express my appreciation to Mr. Philémon Yang for his commendable efforts during his presidency of the previous session.

Madam President, Mr. Secretary-General of the United Nations, Excellencies and Your Highnesses, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Peace be upon you.

I am honored to stand today before your esteemed gathering speaking on behalf of Iraq, with its ancient history that you all know, and with the great challenges it has faced and overcome, and with the great hopes, aspirations and opportunities that our people seek to seize, in cooperation with friends, and with the support of international organizations, foremost among them the United Nations, to which I extend thanks on behalf of the state and people of Iraq for its great supportive role in building and defending the democratic system, through the representatives of the Secretary-General, beginning with the late Mr. Sérgio de Mello, and up to Mr. Mohamed Al-Hassan, who will be a partner in concluding the work of the UNAMI mission in Iraq given the completion of its tasks, as well as the conclusion of the work of the UNITAD mission, in accordance with Security Council resolutions 2732 and 2697, which confirms the stability of the security situation in Iraq and the consolidation of its democratic political system.

I speak to you today as Iraq has restored its normal standing in the international community, and in its relations with its neighbors, as I stand before your gathering while my country chairs the session of the Arab League and the Group of 77 and China, in addition to its effective role in international and regional organizations, such as the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the Non-Aligned Movement — organizations of which Iraq was a founding member, as is the case with the United Nations, which it participated in signing the founding charter of, and it is ready to be a point of connection between East and West.

I cannot but here offer my sincere thanks to the United Nations, which has been a great support to Iraqis in supporting democratic milestones, including local and parliamentary elections, for which we are preparing to hold the seventh edition within weeks, to continue the process of peaceful transfer of power and the building of constitutional institutions, which is a shining example in our region, despite the great sacrifices made by our people to affirm their insistence on commitment to coexistence and respect for pluralism, in contrast to the repressive system that previously ruled Iraq.

As guardian of the constitution, I work in cooperation with the judiciary, as the safety valve of the democratic system, to ensure free, fair and transparent elections, by standing at an equal distance from everyone and in a way that achieves equal opportunity in candidacy and parliamentary representation.

In this regard, Iraq looks forward to positive engagement with the UN Secretary-General's initiative (UN80), which aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the UN organization, and Iraq declares its openness to discussing hosting regional or international UN headquarters in Iraq, especially those targeted by the cost-cutting plan, through usufruct rights or symbolic rental fees, which reflects our commitment to international cooperation and our contribution to strengthening the UN's role and supporting its work in the region.

Iraq has managed, with the support of friends, to overcome the most dangerous terrorist threat the world has witnessed, and we are today working to erase all traces of that brutal terrorist attack, relying on the unity of our people and through development plans to address the effects of the past and establish a promising future with firm national will coupled with sincere international support.

We believe that terrorism is a single approach, however different its slogans and however numerous its masks, and therefore we call for confronting terrorism comprehensively, considering it a single phenomenon with no distinction between its faces.

We affirm the necessity that everyone commit to the full implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions, particularly resolutions numbered 2178, 2396, 2462 and 2331, and the necessity of holding accountable those who support terrorism with money, weapons, or by providing safe havens or media platforms, or by being involved in facilitating the movement and travel of terrorists.

Iraq continues its efforts to return the displaced to their original areas after liberating them from the control of terrorist groups, which requires international support and joint efforts in many fields in order to rebuild the liberated areas, build homes for the displaced, and provide services for them, and most importantly of all, to reassure the components that were subjected to genocide, enslavement and displacement, such as the Yazidis, Christians and others, that what they experienced will not be repeated and that the criminals will receive their punishment through international cooperation to achieve justice, which will protect societal diversity in Iraq and keep the population in the homeland of their fathers and forefathers.

We have also begun the process of dismantling the camps that housed the families of members of terrorist groups and returning them to Iraq, and we are on the threshold of a broad rehabilitation and reintegration process, which is a field that needs great international cooperation, given the serious impact this file has on the security and stability of the region.

We are today working in Iraq to achieve sustainable economic and social development by activating investment in our country's enormous potential in a way that leads to reducing dependence on oil and opening up many fields to diversify the economy agriculturally, industrially and in the field of renewable energy, and Iraq offers important investment opportunities in water, electricity and infrastructure projects, and we invite all countries of the world to enter into fruitful partnerships with our country, and we also call on the international community to cooperate with Iraq to recover its funds smuggled abroad, as these funds will expand the development process and limit the process of money laundering and its circulation among outlaw groups.

Iraq conducted a successful population census, the first in decades, and the census revealed that Iraq's population exceeds 46 million, with an annual increase reaching one million, and this situation represents both opportunities and challenges at the same time, as the numbers of young people, male and female, capable of working increase, our country also faces growing demands for services and job opportunities, and we are today working to develop plans to benefit from the positive aspects of the population situation and confront its challenges.

Iraq is among the countries most affected by climate change, as desertification is encroaching on green lands, and water scarcity has become an existential threat, in addition to increasing dust storms, and this situation is part of a dangerous global environmental situation.

Iraq is working to confront this challenge by developing renewable energy projects, improving water management, reducing carbon emissions, and increasing green spaces, and we call on the international community to support us and back our efforts in this field technically and financially.

Iraq affirms the importance of commitment to the principle of "common but differentiated responsibility" in confronting climate change, foremost among which is the crisis of declining water resources in rivers shared between states and crossing borders, which represents a great challenge for Iraq, which has always sought cooperation and understanding with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Türkiye to share and manage water in the Tigris and Euphrates basins, and while Iraq acknowledges the impact of climate change and population growth on water availability, it at the same time calls on the upstream states (Türkiye and Iran) to take into account not harming Iraq, through which the two rivers extend from its far north to its far south, and which are the basis of the stability of its population and their economic life and the source of the great civilizations of our country, and the decline in water revenues will lead to environmental, humanitarian and economic damage and threaten biological, cultural and demographic diversity, especially in the delta of the two rivers in southern Iraq.

Iraq calls for international cooperation and the adoption of comprehensive approaches based on the principles of international law and the spirit of human partnership and a comprehensive view of stability in the region and the world, in order to reach firm understandings and agreements between Iran, Türkiye, Syria and Iraq to manage the water file, to prevent harm to everyone, and achieve benefits for everyone through a fair and regular sharing of the waters of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

What the Palestinian civilians are subjected to in terms of killing, starvation, displacement, demolition of infrastructure and destruction of their institutions is a situation unbefitting of us as human beings and a shameful state for all of humanity, and therefore work must be done to stop it immediately, and its continuation must not be allowed. What is happening today in Gaza is morally unbearable, and it is a stark proof of selectivity in the commitment to applying human rights and justice among human beings.

We reiterate our call to the international community to move quickly to achieve a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue by activating UN resolutions and enabling the Palestinian people to build their independent state, which is the only gateway to achieving security and stability in the Middle East and the world, and we call for firm measures against settlement plans and the land-nibbling policy practiced by the occupying authority against the Palestinians to destroy all their hopes for a state that can live in freedom and dignity, and in this context Iraq welcomes the broad international recognition of the Palestinian state as an independent entity in the international community.

We also condemn the attacks of the Zionist entity on states of the region, in Syria and Lebanon, and most recently on the sisterly state of Qatar, which is a brutal aggressive act representing a flagrant violation of international law and the charters of the United Nations, and also represents a stark violation of Qatar's sovereignty, and we call for comprehensive and rapid international efforts to stop all these attacks, and to prevent a renewed slide into a state of aggression against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and to stop the attack on civilian facilities and infrastructure in Yemen.

Given what we have seen of the catastrophic effects of weapons of mass destruction, we renew Iraq's demand for the Middle East region to be free of these weapons, while recognizing the right of all states to develop the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and that international oversight should include all nuclear facilities in the region, including the facilities of the Zionist entity, to ensure the establishment of security and stability in the region.

On the Syrian matter, we affirm Iraq's commitment to supporting Syria's stability and the unity of its territory and preventing any attacks on its sovereignty, and we look forward to fruitful cooperation between our two countries in various sectors and increased partnership in efforts to confront terrorism and eliminate terrorist organizations, and we call on the Syrian government to respect pluralism and peaceful coexistence among the components of the Syrian people and respect religious freedoms, holy sites and places of worship for all Syrian communities.

Amid the tensions the region is witnessing, Iraq demands an international position rejecting the targeting of nuclear facilities in military attacks, given the serious and long-term threat this poses to all states and peoples of the region and the world, and Iraq also firmly rejects the illegitimate use of its airspace in military operations between the conflicting parties in the region, given what this represents as a violation of sovereignty and a threat to the security of our country and the lives of our citizens, and we demand that all parties respect Iraqi sovereignty.

In its foreign relations, Iraq adopts a position of balance and openness and encourages dialogue between the states of the region to resolve all disputes and end the state of tension, and Iraq puts all its capabilities toward establishing peace in the region.

Proceeding from that, we welcome all diplomatic efforts to resume and succeed dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the international community in order to reach an understanding that guarantees Iran's rights to develop a peaceful nuclear program in accordance with international treaties and obligations.

Iraq affirms its full support for the peace process in Türkiye and the initiative of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) to lay down its arms, and we look forward to the establishment of a political and legal framework that allows room for peaceful political action for everyone in Türkiye, which is the path to strengthening security and stability in the region.

From Iraq's experience, we affirm that commitment to democracy and respect for human rights is a fundamental guarantee for stability in the region and the world, provided that this commitment is comprehensive for all regimes, avoiding double standards and selectivity in dealing with tyranny and injustice, and it is necessary to fortify democracy against the encroachment of corruption which affects citizens' freedom and manipulates and pressures their needs, which calls for more cooperation between states and governments to pursue the corrupt and combat money laundering, drug trafficking, and suspicious economic and financial practices that threaten stability and security in various parts of the world and stir up societal divisions and ignite civil wars.

Iraq has proven, after 2003 and throughout the past two decades, its principled position based on respecting good neighborliness with the sisterly State of Kuwait, and strengthening bilateral relations with it in the political, economic and social fields, and it has also affirmed its determination and dedication to resolving all outstanding issues with Kuwait, arising due to the individual conduct of the former dictatorial regime.

Iraq has fulfilled its international obligations toward Kuwait regarding the compensation and border files, in addition to making great progress in fulfilling the obligations of the missing persons and archives file.

We affirm here Iraq's aspiration to build positive and sustainable relations with its regional neighborhood, based on economic integration, regional interconnection, and support for sustainable transport projects.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Iraq's message is clear: we do not ask for sympathy, but for partnership — a partnership to heal our land, secure our rivers, achieve our security, empower our youth, and connect our region rather than divide it.

The Middle East has seen enough blood, tears and tragedies, and enormous opportunities for peace and a dignified life have been lost, and it is time to stop all of that quickly and establish a new path of peace, justice and cooperation, and Iraq is ready to walk this path and support everyone who wants to join it.

The peoples of the world, especially in the Middle East, are watching and hoping that this organization, which represents the last door of hope for peace, will act, and they ask: will it move, or will it turn its back on the tragedy?

Will we live under international law and the principles of human rights and justice?

Or will we regress to the law of the jungle, which humiliates human dignity and drives toward the hell of revenge, cruelty and chaos?

May God grant us all success in what is good for all our peoples, and peace, mercy and blessings of God be upon you.