We all welcome ongoing contact among Baghdad and Erbil to settle outstanding issues of concern. We all encourage all sides to interact in dialogue to resolve variations where they exist, including on the hydrocarbon law as well as the budget. We also accepted and encourage dialogue involving the Kurdish political parties, and we’ll continue to emphasise the urgent importance of passing a regulation facilitating elections in the Kurdistan region this year. We welcome the formation of the new Govt of Iraq and Excellent Minister Sudani’s focus on the particular delivery of services which the people of Iraq need. The UK will continue to assistance the Iraqi government around the range of challenges it people. Key amongst these difficulties are securing the country’s economic stability and the need for climate action, including energy transition and green economic reform. We hope to see the Federal government propose and pass the sustainable budget which induces investment in Iraq’s long term. We encourage the government’s continued focus on tackling problem, as the Special Representative mentioned, and we echo the Specific Representative and others on the significance of human rights and liability. The UK commends the vital work of the UN Assistance Mission within Iraq. As the Special Consultant said, we also recommend the longstanding commitment associated with successive Iraqi governments to working closely with the EL Mission. Thank you, Madam President. Let me start by thanking Japan for a highly professional and effective presidency in the month of January, plus let me assure you and your team of our full support for your presidency this month. Thanks a lot to the Special Representative for her briefing and to Dr Ahmad for the messages he brought forward today. Thank you. We welcome Prime Minister Sudani’s work to reinforce the safety of Iraq’s borders. All of us commend Prime Minister Sudani’s engagements throughout the region and his government’s efforts to motivate regional stability through broader bilateral relations. We encourage further regional dialogue, including on crucial transnational issues such as water security and the adverse impacts of weather change. And we welcome UNAMI’s important role in support of these efforts. Continued close cooperation between the government of Iraq and regional partners is important to strengthen both Iraqi and regional security and stability. Finally, we might also like to thank the particular Special Representative for her upgrade on missing Kuwaiti plus third country nationals, and missing Kuwaiti property. We welcome and encourage the particular commitment of all parties in order to further progress on this important issue. Another central challenge is Iraq’s security. We remain committed to supporting the Government associated with Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government in their efforts to guarantee the safety of Iraqi civilians, not least in the on-going fight against the scourge associated with Daesh, and to safeguard the safety and sovereignty of Iraq.
