Al-Sudani talks about the "Iraq 2050" strategy: We will build a strong country

Today, Saturday, the Saudi newspaper, Al-Sharq Al-Awsat (based in London), published an article by Prime Minister Muhammad Shia Al-Sudani, in which he spoke about the vision of Iraq 2050, referring to the economic and political challenges facing Iraq.

These days, we are passing the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the former dictatorial regime, including the pains and tragedies that surrounded it, as well as hopes for liberation from oppression and injustice, and a departure towards emancipation and prosperity. The resounding fall of the regime, which took place on such days twenty years ago, was the result of prolonged decades of oppression, tyranny, mismanagement, disregard for the country's capabilities, and underestimation of the Iraqi people and their dignity. The downfall of the regime was an inevitable consequence of the country's management style and its failure to appreciate its strength and the strength of its opponents. Instead of the country embarking on a long-awaited renaissance, it fell into a series of events and problems that countries usually face after emerging from the grip of a reckless authoritarian regime, into a space of freedom and chaos that sometimes reached the point of chaos.
These conditions took a lot of time and destroyed many people's hopes for freedom, salvation and progress. The time has come to heal the wounds and move towards a prosperous future for a brave people who deserve all good. Our people have been very patient, sacrificed their dearest possessions, and offered convoys of martyrs for the sake of liberating people and the land and purifying it from the filth of terrorism and tyranny. He was able to formulate a constitution for himself that made the Iraqi man (man and woman) his main focus and central goal, and guaranteed his rights to freedom, dignity and equality. The constitution paved the way for building a state of equal citizenship, which must remain our goal, and we strive for it despite the difficulties and challenges. It also guaranteed the country's sovereignty, independence and preservation of its unity.
Our people are waiting for the renaissance, the conditions for which they see are available in their country in the best condition. We do not lack human resources and scientific competencies. We do not lack natural and unnatural wealth, and so does the good land and the eternal rivers; Tigris and Euphrates, and the geographical location, which occupies the most strategic and important locations on the world map. All of this made Iraq enjoy a special place throughout history and it was a beacon of science, literature and knowledge for centuries that scholars and students of knowledge from all over came to. The time has come for us to evoke these feats as a powerful impetus towards restoring Iraq's role as a country that stands at the forefront of the world's countries.
This is not just hopes flirting with the imagination, but must be transformed into a tangible reality, and our people are capable of that with God's help. What we lack is scientific plans and practical programmes. And work to implement it strictly and in all areas.
We stand today on the cusp of a new phase that we seek to usher in goodness and prosperity, and we are working hard on that. We have developed an integrated program to address the most pressing problems. And we moved from the first moment to remove the obstacles that hinder the country's movement forward and prevent it from advancing. One of these main barriers was financial and administrative corruption. That is why we took the initiative, from the early days, to target and pursue it, as part of an integrated plan that we will constantly follow up, and target its centers and tools wherever they are. Here, I look forward to helping all benevolent people in and outside the state's circles, and all those keen to stand by the state and its loyal institutions in this confrontation that is no less dangerous than terrorism.
We are determined to rebuild Iraq within a clear vision and a drawn road map based on several stages. We have started the first phase by mobilizing the state's energies towards construction, economic reform and combating poverty, as we have made clear in our comprehensive government program in which we set priorities. The second stage is economic, human, military and security development.
Despite the great challenges that we face at the internal and external levels, we have the solid will to face the challenges, and the difficult problems and circumstances that our people went through during this period made them more aware and more aware of what really benefits them and sticks to them, and what harms them in terms of conflicts and differences that only lead to failure. and backtracking on all levels.
The tribulations and misfortunes that the Iraqi people faced with all their noble components increased their faith, that their Iraqi identity is the solid bond that must be adhered to, and it became clear that the sub-identities, no matter how dignified and respected they may be, cannot be a substitute for the national identity and the unifying Iraqi tent. There is no glory except under this tent, and there is no honor for anyone except that all of Iraq be dignified, preserved and raised among the nations.
Iraq today is an Iraq reconciled with itself and at peace with others. It does not want to harm anyone and does not allow anyone to attack it. An Iraq that wants good for all, and seeks for its people to live at the level that befits it. Iraq needs all its citizens without exception, especially in the current battle of construction.
We look forward to serious work and cooperation with all friendly countries and international organizations to overcome the common challenges facing the planet in terms of environment, climate, desertification, increasing sand and dust storms, water shortages, high temperatures, increasing pollution and diseases, increasing poverty and poor services, and other challenges that need To full cooperation between countries to overcome them, especially those challenges that cannot be limited to one place without another and are transboundary in nature. We are aware of the seriousness of these challenges, and we are fully prepared. Rather, we are striving with all our might to create partnerships and join hands among countries to confront them. Iraq opens its arms to every good relationship and good partnership in security, economy or environment and all these areas.
We urgently need to diversify sources of income, and not rely on oil revenues as almost the only source to cover budget expenditures. Alternatives such as activating agriculture, industry, tourism, trade, and others are necessary.
We have also drawn up plans to encourage internal and external investment and opened the doors to investors and project owners, within a well-thought-out plan and encouraging opportunities. We are aware that the construction and investment movement will need more technical and trained manpower and build more capacities, and we have launched an advanced program in this field called the Leadership Program to help young people gain the necessary expertise and skills without forgetting to build military and security capabilities.
Development can only be achieved through internal and external stability. Internal stability means the rule of law and the restriction of weapons to the state. We will not accept that there are weapons outside the state's security and military establishment. As for external stability, it means building regional and international partnerships. As Iraq's strategic location, depth, historical legacy, regional weight, abundance of resources, and influence in the world economy, all of this gives it the ability to play a large role commensurate with its true size, and its good relations with brotherly and friendly countries paved the way for it to build bilateral and multilateral partnerships with many countries of the world, and we still have many of these relations.
Finally, I find today a favorable opportunity to launch a comprehensive national campaign for building, reconstruction, and developing services throughout the country. With the help of the people, partners, and friends, we will build a strong and capable Iraq for the coming decades, and we will achieve this in our next plans, which we call "Iraq 2050."