Baghdad: National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji spoke by phone on Monday with the Acting Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Operations, Burcu San, to discuss the latest developments and repercussions of the ongoing conflict in the region, as well as ways to strengthen cooperation between Iraq and the NATO mission.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, al-Araji emphasized during the call that "the mission's role is advisory, not combat-oriented, and it works in a balanced manner with Iraqi security institutions in the areas of training and capacity building." He expressed Iraq's aspiration to expand the mission's scope to include modern fields, such as artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.

Al-Araji stressed that the Iraqi government is committed to protecting diplomatic missions and agencies operating in Iraq. He also noted the importance of countries repatriating their nationals among the prisoners recently handed over to Iraq. Furthermore, he emphasized the need to strengthen cooperation with the international community to end the war in the region and prevent the conflict from escalating.

For her part, San emphasized NATO's commitment to developing its relations with Iraq and expanding cooperation from consultation and training to other non-combat areas, including political aspects, praising Iraq's role in reducing tensions in the region.