Shafaq News / The British ambassador to Baghdad, Stephen Hickey, announced that the Iraqi government had reserved 8 million doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine.

According to the Iraqi News Agency, Hickey said, "The United Kingdom is very happy with its cooperation with Iraq in the health field", adding, "the AstraZeneca vaccine is affordable, giving everyone the opportunity to be vaccinated. A batch of the vaccine will be reserved for Iraq shortly."

"We value the Iraqi government's efforts to improve security and provide protection for diplomats", explaining that the meeting between Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi and representatives of international missions was fruitful, adding, "targeting diplomatic missions are a great challenge for Iraq and harms stability and investment, but will not affect the British strategy in Iraq."

Hickey noted, "the UK has provided humanitarian support to Iraq, estimated at 300 million pounds since 2014. We organized a conference in London to provide technical support to the Iraqi Finance Ministry to implement economic reform."

He encouraged Iraqi leaders and politicians to find a diplomatic and political solution to the presence of foreign forces, stressing that the continuation of international support and cooperation with Iraq is very important to confront the threats of ISIS in some areas. He also noted that there is a dialogue between Iraq and the international coalition on the form and structure of the coalition in the future, expressing optimism that the new US administration intends to form an agreement and a new strategy in fighting ISIS.

The British ambassador pointed out, "negotiations and talks are going on about the British-Iraqi armament program", explaining that his country is ready for military support and equipment whenever the Iraqi government requests it.

Furthermore, Hickey considered the Iraqi decision to hold the elections as a firm decision of the Iraqi government and parliament, noting, "We appreciate the effective role of the Iraqi government in strengthening state institutions, and soon we will provide the Iraqi embassy in London with a goodwill antique from the British Museum."