INA - BAGHDAD
PM Ali Faleh al-Zaidi affirmed on Saturday that the next phase must be one of genuine partnership and overcoming differences, while pledging sincere work and genuine will to confront challenges.
“The government program aims to build a strong, diversified, and sustainable national economy,” said al-Zaidi in a statement from the PM Media Office, received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA, expressing his gratitude to the Supreme Religious Authority for its wise positions and its role in maintaining social peace.
He highlighted several key points in his address to the Iraqi people on the occasion of officially assuming his duties as Prime Minister, saying, “I extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to the Parliament for the national vote of confidence, and we thank the leaders of the Coordination Framework and the national political forces that contributed to the success of the government formation process.”
“The coming phase will be one of genuine national partnership that rises above differences, and we pledge to work sincerely in confronting challenges. Among the foremost priorities of our government is the launch of a comprehensive economic and financial reform program aimed at building a strong, diversified, and sustainable national economy that does not rely on a single resource. The reform program is based on revitalizing industry, agriculture, tourism, and investment, while stimulating national energies and Iraqi competencies,” he added.
Al-Zaidi underscored, “Work will be ongoing with full determination to protect public funds and combat administrative and financial corruption in all its forms, as it represents an obstacle to development and delays the progress of the state. Providing job opportunities for youth and combating unemployment are among the government’s top priorities through launching productive and development projects, encouraging investment, and supporting the private sector as a key partner in building the national economy. We will work to provide a fair environment that guarantees equitable distribution of opportunities among all Iraqis, free from favoritism and discrimination, in a manner that reinforces the principles of citizenship and social justice.”
“We will provide exceptional support to the education sector through developing curricula, rehabilitating schools and universities, supporting educational staff, and advancing academic and scientific institutions. We will move forward with practical plans to improve medical and healthcare services, develop hospitals and health centers, provide treatment and medicine, and ensure access to proper healthcare services for every citizen in cities and rural areas alike. The file of services and infrastructure will no longer remain hostage to deferred promises, but will instead become a field of clear work and achievement through strategic projects to improve electricity, water, roads, sewage systems, transportation, and housing,” he noted.
The Prime Minister indicated that, “Your government will be a government of state institutions, law, and justice, open to all, attentive to the voice of citizens, and convinced that the strength of the state stems from the trust of its people. We will work to consolidate security and stability, protect Iraq’s sovereignty, and strengthen our Arab, regional, and international relations based on mutual respect and shared interests, in a manner that preserves Iraq’s standing and historic role in the region. Iraq today deserves to rise, for its people to live with dignity, and to see their state strong, just, and capable of meeting their aspirations.”
He expressed, saying, “We offer our profound gratitude to the Supreme Religious Authority for its wise positions and role in preserving societal peace. We express our appreciation and pride in all religious and national institutions and figures representing all Iraqi components.”
“The path of reform may be difficult, but it is not impossible when intentions are united, and efforts are sincere,” he concluded.