Mr. President,

China wishes to thank SRSG Ms. Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and Ms. Amal Kabashi for their briefings, and welcomes the Permanent Representative of Iraq to this meeting.

Mr. President, 

China welcomes the smooth new parliamentary elections in Iraq last month. We appreciate the great efforts made by the Iraqi Government and people, and fully recognize the electoral assistance provided by UNAMI. China condemns the November 7 attack on Iraqi Prime Minister al-Kadhimi's residence and expresses concern over the recent threats of violence against Iraq's independent high electoral commission and UNAMI. We hope that all parties in Iraq will stay calm and exercise restraint, voice their appeals and resolve differences and disputes through peaceful means within the framework of the constitution and laws. China encourages all parties in Iraq to seize the opportunity presented by this election to further build consensus, strengthen solidarity, and form a new government in an orderly manner, so as to lay a solid political foundation for further progress in nation building and achieving development and prosperity.

The security situation in Iraq remains grim with frequent attacks launched by the remnants of the Islamic State. The international community should sustain its unwavering support for Iraq’s counter-terrorism efforts. The countries concerned should shoulder their responsibilities by facilitating early identification and repatriation of foreign terrorist fighters and their families in Iraq. On November 4, the Permanent Representative of Iraq wrote to the president of the Security Council, listing Turkey's violations of Iraqi territory and airspace during the period from June to September this year. The UN Secretary-General’s recent report also documented Iraqi civilian casualties caused by aerial strikes and shelling. China hopes that Iraq's sovereignty and territorial integrity be respected by all countries.

Iraq's long-term peace and stability won't be possible without a good neighboring environment. The Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership held in August this year achieved important consensus on supporting Iraq's peaceful development and joint response to regional challenges, and established a follow-up mechanism. China welcomes this. We hope that Iraq and major regional countries will fully leverage this mechanism, strengthen communication, enhance mutual trust, deepen cooperation and jointly safeguard regional stability. We appreciate and support the continued close cooperation between Iraq and Kuwait on the issue of missing Kuwaitis and Kuwaiti property.

Mr. President, 

The UN and the Iraqi Government signed the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework in September this year. We hope that the UN development system will seize this opportunity to focus on the development-related governance priorities of the Iraqi Government and stepping up resource mobilization with concrete actions so as to help Iraq achieve the 2030 Agenda at an early date.

China has always been a sincere friend of the Iraqi people. Last week, the fourth batch of China-donated COVID-19 vaccines totaling one million doses arrived in Baghdad. China, alongside the rest of the international community, will continue to support Iraq in fighting the pandemic, developing the economy and improving people's livelihood. 

Thank you, Mr. President.