Spain PM says supports Iraq's 'sovereignty and stability'

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on Thursday he supported Iraq’s “sovereignty and stability” during a visit to Baghdad, where he also met with Spanish troops.

“My country, always at the request of the Iraqi authorities, will support the unity, sovereignty and stability of Iraq,” said Sanchez during a press conference with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani.

Spain has deployed more than 300 soldiers as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition and NATO’s mission in Iraq, commanded since May by Spanish General Jose Antonio Aguero Martinez.

The coalition, deployed to fight the Islamic State group, has faced increasing attacks since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, most claimed by Iran-aligned groups opposing Israel.

Sanchez visited the Spanish troops at a military base located in Baghdad’s high security Green Zone, where he thanked them on behalf of Spanish society for their “efforts and sacrifices in favour of international security and stability”.

“In Iraq, Spain has demonstrated for many years now our solid commitment to something that seems to have been questioned in recent years: multilateralism,” he said.

Iraq is experiencing comparative political stability after decades of conflict, but corruption and nepotism remain major obstacles in the oil-rich country.

Dominated by parties close to Iran, an ally of Palestinian militant group Hamas, tensions have escalated in Iraq since the group’s unprecedented attack on Israel and the subsequent air and ground offensive in Gaza.

Since mid-October, Washington has documented more than 100 drone and rocket attacks against US and other coalition troops deployed to Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

The majority of the attacks in Iraq have been claimed by Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which opposes US support for Israel in its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Sanchez, who was accompanied by a delegation of business leaders in his trip to Baghdad, said he is dedicated to the development of trade between Spain and Iraq, which derives over 90 per cent of its income from oil and gas.