On August 16th, 2013, the Republic of Iraq’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hoshyar Zebari, addressed important issues facing Iraq and the region - as well as bilateral issues with the United States - at the Center for Strategic and International Studies’ Statesmen’s Forum: "A View from Iraq and the Region." The talk was moderated by CSIS Middle East Program Director Jon B. Alterman in Washington, DC.
Mr. Zebari shared his views about critical international issues as they relate to Iraq’s role within the Middle East and around the world. The Foreign Minister honed in on regional issues including oil production, Iraq's neutral stance towards the crisis in Syria and the consequences of increased violence in the region. The Minister also talked about several international issues and reiterated that among the key objectives of his visit to Washington, DC this week were to attend the Joint Coordination Committee meeting and seek continued support from the United States in efforts to stop terrorism-related activities in Iraq and the region -- which has been a consistent theme from the Minister's meetings in Washington this week.
Among the attendees were U.S. government executive and legislative branch officials, foreign diplomatic, academic and regional experts, leaders from the corporate community, and the media in Washington.