The President of the Republic, Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid, received today Monday a written message from King Charles III of the United Kingdom.
A presidential statement said that the President of the Republic and First Lady Shanaz Ibrahim Ahmed received, at the Baghdad Palace, the Duchess of Edinburgh, Sophie, and her accompanying delegation, which included British Ambassador Mark Bryson Richardson.
In his message, King Charles III expressed his gratitude to the President of the Republic for attending the coronation ceremony for assuming the throne of the United Kingdom at Westminster Cathedral in London earlier this month.
King Charles III affirmed that the United Kingdom and Iraq have long-term and distinguished historical friendship, expressing his hope that those close relations based on historical ties between the two countries will be strengthened, and modern partnerships will be established through which they can work together to face the challenges facing all, including climate change, global security and human rights.
The King of Britain added, "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Iraqi people who have endured all their suffering and pain, especially in recent times from the brutality of ISIS and other extremist terrorist groups," stressing that "the efforts of the President of the Republic in supporting the affected population groups are greatly appreciated, and once again the Kingdom stands by Iraq as a friend and ally in order to consolidate peace and security and achieve prosperity for all Iraqis.
The President of the Republic referred to the close relations between Iraq and the United Kingdom, stressing the need to work to strengthen and develop them in various areas of common interest, in a way that achieves the mutual interests of the two countries and peoples.
The President stressed that the Iraqi cities are witnessing security stability, as the government is working through its ambitious program to develop plans to build schools and hospitals, rehabilitate basic infrastructure, and raise the standard of living and services for citizens, as there are efforts being made to expedite the approval of the budget and start implementing the paragraphs of the government program.
The President spoke about the conditions of the displaced, their difficult and complex human suffering, and the lack of health, education and service services, stressing that the government is interested in ending the file of the displaced, returning the displaced families to their places of residence after rehabilitation and reconstruction, and implementing the Sinjar Agreement in this regard, as well as providing better services to all the Iraqi people.
He expressed his hope that the United Nations, which is responsible for this file, will make more efforts, commensurate with the scale of the humanitarian tragedy of the displaced.
The First Lady also spoke about childhood in Iraq, the presence of children among the displaced families, and the harsh conditions they face, who do not have families, relatives, or shelter, especially among our Yazidi people, noting that despite the programs prepared by the United Nations to rehabilitate displaced families and children, they are collide with bureaucratic procedures.
In turn, the Duchess of Edinburgh expressed her thanks and appreciation to the President and First Lady for the warm reception, expressing her happiness for visiting Iraq, stressing her support for strengthening the bonds of cooperation and mutual friendship between the two countries.
She indicated that managing the file of the displaced and returning them to their areas of residence and building housing is an issue that requires the wisdom and leadership of the President of the Republic, congratulating the President for his efforts to retrieve artifacts from Britain, while the President of the Republic called on the Duchess of Edinburgh to visit the National Museum.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency