Iraqi military expert: Int'l cooperation needed to address global threats, with China key to world peace

By Xue Lingqiao, Gong Weiwei, Diao Wei, Chen Tianhao and Wanghao

(ECNS) -- "International organizations must call on all countries to join hands in facing global threats and we must firmly carry out international cooperation to promote world peace and advance tranquility." Recently, Mustafa Mahdy, president of the Iraqi Defence University, made these remarks during a high-end media dialogue session at the 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum, speaking on regional and global security situations. 

The 12th Beijing Xiangshan Forum took place in Beijing from September 17th to 19th. The theme of this year's forum was "Upholding International Order and Promoting Peaceful Development."

Currently, the situation in the Middle East is complex and volatile. How to jointly maintain the international order in the Middle East and promote lasting regional peace was a major focus of this forum. 

Terrorist forces have long been a social problem plaguing Iraq and other Middle East countries. When asked by Chinese media about his views on Iraq's success in combating the extremist armed forces of the Islamic State (ISIS), Mustafa responded that it was precisely due to the collective efforts and actions of countries worldwide that significant results were achieved in the fight against ISIS extremists.

He further emphasized that solidarity and cooperation among nations will provide support for the international community and international organizations, and will also inject more peace and stability into the Middle East region.

Meanwhile, Mustafa also expressed another perspective on the long-term instability within his country. 

"Over 41% of Iraqis have suffered from the war. Many countries have fueled the development of some remnants of ISIS, helping them continuously provoke new disputes. Especially some countries in the region have, to some extent, likely assisted the development of these remnant forces," said Mustafa. 

"For Iraq, we will undoubtedly spare no effort to eliminate these remnant forces," he emphasized. 

When addressing another major domestic challenge—the issue of sectarian conflicts—Mustafa admitted that Iraq's domestic sectarian problems have existed for a long time, but China has played a very important role in helping to resolve them. 

During the dialogue, when asked about the role China plays in promoting peace and stability in the Middle East, Mustafa responded that all Middle Eastern countries, especially Iraq, place their hopes on China. This is because China usually adopts a relatively impartial and consistent attitude in addressing Middle Eastern issues. 

"Through my study on China, I find that China adopts a very transparent approach when engaging with other relevant countries, so I firmly believe that China will play a greater role in this aspect," praised him.

In response to questions about the deepening defense cooperation between China and Iraq, Mustafa stated that China is a major manufacturing country and also possesses significant strength in education, technology, and other fields. Therefore, the Iraqi government believes there is strong potential for cooperation between the two countries in military education and training. 

By supporting his point, he gave an example by saying that some language colleges in Iraqi universities now hope to offer Chinese language courses, serving cooperation in various fields between the two countries.

Given that Iraq still faces considerable difficulties in terms of material investment and funding, Iraq will increasingly look towards China, which is experiencing rapid development in high technology, he added. 

Furthermore, regarding the assessment of Iraq's current overall domestic security situation posed by the media, Mustafa also added his views. 

"Currently, the security situation achieved in Iraq is still at a relatively preliminary stage. Iraq's economic pillar relies mainly on oil. Moreover, as Iraq is deeply caught in the power rivalry between Iran and Israel, its development is also affected by the fluctuations of international games." he noted.

Regarding on this, Mustafa appealed by saying that "Iraq hopes to maintain a relatively independent stance in regional and international diplomacy and we hope to stay away from war and conflict." 

In light of the global security landscape, Mustafa believes that against the backdrop of an international system centered around the United Nations coming under pressure, cooperation among nations is imperative. 

"In the current complex international strategic environment, the international situation is constantly evolving and developing. Only through cooperation among nations can we ensure that the United Nations continues to play its role in maintaining regional peace and stability," Mustafa said.