"Iraq is trying to regain its international status today. We reject any political influence from any parties... We will not allow Iraq to become a place for threatening its neighbors," the Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi said on Sunday afternoon in a press conference in Baghdad.
He also said that "The Iraqi prime minister stressed that his country would oppose any foreign influence and would reject US influence."
"Iraq used to be a field for settling [anymosities], but now we have been able to turn it into a meeting place for the [enemies], and this country has been able to regain its pioneering role in the region.", he added.
"There are currently no US troops at Balad Air Base, and rocket attacks are being carried out in line with political purposes. The political groups must take responsibility for that." the Iraqi PM claimed, adding that "There is no American military base in Iraq, and that is a lie. Only a handful of US troops are present at these bases."
Elsewhere, Al-Kadhimi pledged support for the rights of Iraqi demonstrators, saying that the perpetrators behind the killing of protestors will be brought to justice.
He went on to touch upon the disputes with the Kurdistan region, saying that "Now is the golden age of relations between Iraq and the Kurdistan Region."
Regarding Turkey's actions on Iraqi soil, the Iraqi Prime Minister said that Baghdad had expressed its dissatisfaction with some of Turkey's actions to Ankara. He further said that "the actions of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) are also unacceptable and threaten the Kurdistan Region and Turkey."
He also pledged to continue the fight against corruption regardless of political affiliations.
Emphasizing that his country is in dire need of foreign investment, the Iraqi Prime Minister said, "We welcome all the investments of the [P]GCC countries in the country and we have signed several memoranda in this regard so far."
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