Shafaq News / The United Nations, Britain and Turkey welcomed, on Thursday, the inauguration of the head of the intelligence service, Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, as Prime Minister of the Iraqi federal government.

The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, urged the complete formation of the Cabinet so that the new administration can swiftly move to address mounting security, social, political, economic and health challenges.

“The government faces an uphill battle, and there is no time to spare. Confronting the economic crisis, further compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and falling oil prices, is a top priority. But other long-standing challenges must also be tackled without delay. These include adequate public service delivery, fighting corruption, strengthening governance as well as justice and accountability.”

Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert reaffirmed continued UN support to the Iraqi government in addressing these challenges.

“The new Iraqi government must move forward to enact meaningful change. The challenges are many, as are the opportunities. The United Nations stands ready to assist in identifying the opportunities and tackling the challenges, working in partnership with Iraqis to build a prosperous and stable future for their country.”

For his part, the British ambassador to Iraq, Steve Hickey, announced his country's aspiration to work with the new Iraqi government headed by Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

He tweeted "Congratulations to Mr. Mustafa Al-Kashimi for assuming the position of Prime Minister."

"The United Kingdom is ready to support your government to eradicate the Corona virus, work for economic and security reform, as well as in fight against ISIS," he added.

"We look forward to working with you and your government to continue the strong partnership between our two countries," he added.

The Turkish ambassador to Iraq, Fatih Yildiz, welcomed the granting of confidence to Al-Kadhimi, who said on "Twitter" today, "We welcome the new government in Iraq that obtained the confidence of the Iraqi parliament and we wish Al-Kashimi the success who assumed a sensitive responsibility in this difficult stage in our world."

"Turkey will continue to stand with Iraq and the Iraqis at this stage as well, and strongly."

"We believe that the new government will take steps to embrace all components of the friendly and brotherly Iraqi people, meet legitimate popular demands and contribute to the stability of the region," the ambassador said.

"We are ready to work with the new government through cooperation in all fields, foremost among which is security, trade, investment and reconstruction in accordance with common interests, as is the case with previous Iraqi governments,” he added.