BAGHDAD, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi government on Thursday officially signed an agreement to take over the U.S. embassy's diplomatic support center at Baghdad International Airport, according to an Iraqi Foreign Ministry statement.
The agreement was signed at the ministry headquarters by Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed Hussein Bahr Al-Uloom and charge d'affaires at the U.S. embassy in Iraq Steven Fagin.
The handover is part of the Iraqi government's efforts to finalize procedures regarding the conclusion of the U.S.-led international coalition and the foreign military presence in Iraq, in accordance with the timeline set for Sept. 30 this year, it said.
Bahr Al-Uloom stressed the importance of the move in transitioning bilateral ties to a new phase of partnership, particularly in the economic, development, and energy sectors.
The facility has been repeatedly targeted by drone and rocket attacks this year, following joint Israeli-U.S. strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 and Iran's subsequent retaliatory salvos against Israel and U.S. regional military assets.
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has emphasized that Sept. 30 is the firm deadline for ending the U.S.-led coalition's military mission in Iraq and completing its troop withdrawal and that Oct. 1 will mark a new era for Iraq, as the country becomes free of foreign military presence and exercises full national sovereignty over its territory. ■
