BAGHDAD, July 23 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani held a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio to discuss bilateral relations and the regional situation, al-Sudani's media office said Wednesday.
During the phone conversation, al-Sudani reaffirmed Iraq's support for efforts aimed at stabilizing the region, maintaining ceasefire agreements, and halting acts of aggression, read the statement.
Al-Sudani also touched upon recent attacks targeting vital and oil-related infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region and the provinces of Salahuddin and Kirkuk, calling them "deliberate attempts to undermine Iraq's national economy."
He said that Iraqi security agencies are closely monitoring the sources of these attacks in coordination with the U.S.-led international coalition forces.
Al-Sudani also addressed the relationship between the Iraqi central government and the Kurdistan Regional Government regarding the transfer of oil production and non-oil revenues to the federal treasury in accordance with provisions of the effective budget law, the statement added.
For his part, Rubio emphasized the importance of the Iraqi government holding the perpetrators accountable and preventing future attacks on energy infrastructure, including those operated by U.S. companies, according to a statement by the U.S. Department of State.
Rubio also noted the importance of paying Iraqi Kurdistan Region salaries and resuming oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye Pipeline, it added. ■
