ERBIL — Several foreign representatives met with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Wednesday amid concerns over the increasing rocket and IED attacks targeting the diplomatic missions and embassies in Baghdad.
Ambassadors and Charge d’Affairs of Australia, Canada, Croatia, Egypt, the European Union, Finland, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kingdom of Bahrain, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Republic of Korea, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Yemen were present at the meeting.
“During the meeting, we underlined our support for Iraq and its people, our respect for Iraqi sovereignty and our desire to see a stable and secure Iraq,” reads a joint statement by the representatives of the diplomatic missions.
“We expressed our deep concern at the rise in the number and sophistication of attacks against diplomatic premises in Iraq, including rocket and IED attacks,” the statement added, noting that the attacks not only endanger the diplomatic missions, but also the people of Iraq.
The foreign envoys welcomed the actions by the Iraqi government to launch investigations into the attacks, conduct security operations and enhance the security of Baghdad international airport.
This comes after the US threatened to close down its embassy in Baghdad in the wake of increasing rocket attacks blamed on the Iran-backed Shia militias.
Media reports previously cited Iraqi and US officials saying that Washington was preparing to withdraw its mission from Baghdad while keeping its consulate general in Erbil open.