US President Donald Trump met Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House on Tuesday, with both leaders promising stronger economic cooperation and closer energy ties.
The visit comes as Iraq seeks greater investment and increased oil production, with Baghdad signalling that several oil and gas agreements could be signed during al-Zaidi’s trip.
During their Oval Office meeting, Trump praised the Iraqi leader and said: “Iraq has tremendous potential because of their oil and because of other things, but because of their oil, and we’re going to be doing a lot of deals.”
“We’re going to create a lot of jobs for both countries, and we’re going to be taking out a lot of oil. A lot of oil is coming out,” Trump added.
Al-Zaidi described the visit as the start of a new chapter in relations between the two countries.
He said the “visit was not like any other visit”, calling it the beginning of an “economic partnership”.
The two leaders also said the remaining US troops in Iraq would be withdrawn by 30 September, while al-Zaidi reiterated his pledge to disarm armed groups operating in the country.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, al-Zaidi also renewed Iraq’s call for a larger OPEC oil production quota, saying the country needed additional revenue to rebuild after years of conflict and return displaced families to their homes.
