Iraq says US to hand over key diplomatic facility in Baghdad

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq and the United States signed an agreement on Thursday to hand over a US diplomatic support site at Baghdad International Airport to Iraqi authorities, days before a deadline for the US-led coalition to end its military mission in the country.

The agreement to transfer the US Embassy’s Diplomatic Support Site was signed by Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister for Bilateral Relations Mohammed Hussein Bahr al-Uloom and US Embassy Charge d’Affaires Steven Fagin.

“This step comes as part of the Iraqi government's efforts to complete the procedures related to ending the mission of the Global Coalition and the foreign military presence in Iraq,” the Iraqi foreign ministry said in a statement.

The handover comes days before a September 30 deadline for the scheduled end of the US-led coalition’s military mission in Iraq, under a timeline agreed by Baghdad and Washington in 2024.

Bahr al-Uloom emphasized that the handover plays a crucial role in “transitioning them to a new phase of cooperation and partnership in a number of areas of mutual interest,” according to the ministry's statement.

The ministry added that this new phase of bilateral relations will focus heavily on “the economic, developmental, and energy sectors, among others.”

For his part, Fagin was quoted by the statement as noting that the agreement is based on prior understandings and “respects their sovereignty and opens new horizons for joint cooperation during the coming phase.”

The agreement comes as Baghdad and Washington seek to reshape their relationship following the end of the coalition mission, with security cooperation and the Iraqi government’s efforts to bring weapons under state control among key issues.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday voiced support for Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s efforts to bring armed groups under state authority, telling Rudaw on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly that Zaidi “is very intelligent and a very willing partner in this regard.”

“We're going to do everything we can to help him achieve the results, and we know it will not be easy,” Rubio added, stressing that “nothing would be more important for Iraq than to… bring all the arms in that country under the control of its national government.”

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