ERBIL () - Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh Zaidi has invited U.S. companies to help develop Iraq's oil industry as Baghdad seeks to broaden its relationship with Washington through investment and long-term economic cooperation.
Iraqi government spokesperson Haider Aboudi said Tuesday that Zaidi, who arrived in New York at the head of an Iraqi delegation, raised the issue during talks with the U.S. Secretary of State ahead of Iraq's participation in the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Aboudi said the meeting focused on the level of bilateral cooperation and ways to strengthen the partnership between Baghdad and Washington. According to the spokesperson, the U.S. Secretary of State emphasized Washington's interest in sustaining relations with Iraq and taking them to what he described as a special strategic level.
Zaidi, in turn, stressed that stronger ties should be built through economic partnerships and investment. Aboudi said the prime minister specifically called for attracting U.S. companies to develop Iraq's oil industry and take part in a number of important projects.
The discussions reflect Baghdad's stated intention to move its relationship with the United States beyond a predominantly security-based framework and toward more durable economic cooperation. Aboudi said Iraq is seeking a sustainable economic relationship in which investment and commercial partnerships play a larger role.
Energy was also central to the discussions in New York. Aboudi said the two sides addressed regional developments and their effects on national economies, including the need to protect energy supplies and maintain the export of crude oil to international markets.
He said Iraq remains committed to pursuing lasting diplomatic solutions to regional problems in order to support stable energy supplies and the movement of crude to global markets.
Aboudi described Iraq as one of the major suppliers of crude oil to the international market and said the government aims, under its current vision and program, to raise daily crude production to 10 million barrels by 2030. The figure is a government production target rather than an independently established forecast.
The 10-million-barrel objective has become a prominent part of Baghdad's energy policy. Iraqi reporting this month has also carried government statements describing the target as part of plans to expand the country's oil production capacity while seeking greater international participation in the sector.
Zaidi's New York visit is also intended to give Iraq a platform to set out its position on the wider regional environment. Aboudi said the prime minister will present Iraq's vision on regional security and economic conditions before the United Nations.
The government's emphasis on diplomacy and energy reflects the connection Baghdad is drawing between political stability in the region and the ability of oil-producing states to maintain reliable supplies to world markets.
The delegation began its work in New York with the meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State. Aboudi said the visit's agenda also included receiving the Lebanese prime minister at Zaidi's place of residence and holding talks with the secretary-general of the Arab League.
The Iraqi delegation is scheduled to go to the United Nations General Assembly headquarters on Wednesday as part of its participation in the 81st session, where Zaidi is expected to set out Baghdad's position on regional security and the economy.
Aboudi's account of the visit was also carried Tuesday by Iraqi media, which reported that Baghdad wants to strengthen investment ties with Washington, attract U.S. companies to Iraq's oil sector and develop the bilateral relationship at a broader strategic level.
Taken together, the meetings in New York place economic cooperation alongside diplomacy at the center of Baghdad's message to Washington. Zaidi's invitation to U.S. oil companies forms part of that approach, as Iraq seeks investment for its energy sector while presenting its positions on regional security, diplomacy and stable energy supplies at the United Nations.
