Baghdad’s harsh reaction to Joseph Aoun’s stance against Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces.
According to the Iraqi Wa’e news agency, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned Ali Al-Habhab, the Lebanese ambassador to Baghdad, on Wednesday, over Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s stance against the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces.
The Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced in a statement: The Iraqi Foreign Ministry summoned Ali Al-Habhab, the Lebanese ambassador to Baghdad, to convey its deep dissatisfaction with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s statements about the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces.
Mohammed Hussein Bahr Al-Uloom, the Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister, stressed that the Popular Mobilization Forces are an important part of the Iraqi military security system, a state and legal institution, and part of the Iraqi government system.
He noted that the Lebanese president’s statements and the association of the Popular Mobilization Forces were unsuccessful and it would have been more appropriate for Iraq not to have entered Lebanon’s internal crisis or not to have used an official Iraqi institution as an example.
Bahr Al-Uloom said that Iraqis are unhappy, especially considering that Iraq did not stop standing by Lebanon in various circumstances.
He expressed hope that the Lebanese President would correct his statement in order to strengthen the brotherly relations between the two countries and emphasize respect for the uniqueness of each country.
On the other hand, the Lebanese Ambassador to Baghdad emphasized the depth of the brotherly relations between Lebanon and Iraq and promised to convey the position of the Iraqi Foreign Ministry to the Lebanese President and to work to correct the problem that has arisen to maintain and develop bilateral relations.
It is worth noting that in a conversation with Al-Arabi Al-Jadeed, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, explaining his vision for how Hezbollah forces will be integrated into the Lebanese army in the future, claimed: I firmly say that the experience of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces will not be repeated in Lebanon, and there will not be an independent unit in the army consisting of Hezbollah forces, but rather forces that have the necessary qualifications, have obtained the relevant certificates, and have passed the necessary tests to join the Lebanese Armed Forces will join the Lebanese Army.