Baghdad: Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, met with Joshua Harris, Charg© d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Iraq, to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries and developments in the regional and international arenas.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, al-Maliki’s office stated in a press release that al-Maliki received Harris and expressed Iraq’s desire to continue cooperation and establish strong relations and a partnership with the United States through the activation of the Strategic Framework Agreement signed between the two countries.

The statement highlighted al-Maliki’s emphasis on the necessity of building a strong and stable state, which requires the state to have a monopoly on the use of force and to strengthen the rule of law. He further mentioned that national forces are determined to fulfill constitutional obligations within their constitutional timeframes.

On the other hand, Harris expressed his hope to work on strengthening cooperation between Baghdad and Washington in a way that contributes to supporting security and stability in Iraq and the region.