(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) US Vice President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Al-Abadi have reiterated the need for political stability in Iraq, as well as the growth of its energy sector, as they co-chaired the US-Iraq Higher Coordinating Committee (HCC) meeting. In a statement, late on Thursday, the White House said the two sides "reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen and fully activate the strategic partnership between the United States and Iraq as outlined in the Strategic Framework Agreement," and "agreed on the need to work closely together to garner immediate international support to stabilize areas liberated from ISIL terrorists, including through an international stabilization fund to be established by the Government of Iraq in cooperation with the United Nations." The two sides further discussed "steps Iraq can take to increase energy exports and to establish additional export routes from its southern facilities, including an export pipeline through Jordan to the Red Sea," the statement said.
For his part, Biden "noted Iraq's progress in increasing exports over recent months, including record-level exports" in March, the statement added. Also on the agenda: "Iraq's efforts to raise revenues, curb expenditures, manage debt, and prioritize critical investments over the coming months and years," the White House revealed.
Finally, both sides "expressed a commitment to facilitate bilateral trade and to continue the accession process for Iraq's entry into the World Trade Organization," the statement concluded. The HCC has now met five times since its inception in 2008.
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