Diplomatic Crisis Between Iraq and Britain
The Iraqi News Agency reported today that the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned the British Chargé d’Affaires in Iraq and delivered a protest following remarks made by the British ambassador regarding the country’s security.
According to a statement issued by the Iraqi Foreign Ministry and published by the agency, the Chargé d’Affaires Ruth Koverdal was summoned due to the ambassador’s absence from Iraq. A note of protest was delivered in response to comments made by the UK ambassador to Iraq, Stephen Hitchen, which were seen as reflecting negatively on Iraq’s security and political situation, portraying a grim image of Iraq, its government, and its components.
The statement said, “The Foreign Ministry considers this an interference in internal affairs and a departure from the diplomatic duties assigned to the ambassador.”
The British ambassador had spoken to the media network “Rudaw” in an interview circulated on social media, stating that “militias outside the control of the state could involve Iraq in international problems or even drag it into a war.”
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