BAGHDAD, March 14 (Xinhua) -- British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Thursday confirmed in a phone call with Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi that Britain supports Iraq to secure and stabilize Iraq and the Middle East region.

A statement by Iraqi Premier Office said that Abdul Mahdi received a call from Hunt, who confirmed "Britain's support to the Iraqi government's efforts to establish security and stability and strengthen the status of Iraq in its Arab, regional and international arenas."

On his part, Abdul Mahdi said that Iraq is keen to develop relations with Britain and continue to cooperate in the fight against terrorism and achieve stability and economic prosperity, the statement said.

The Iraqi government puts at the top of its priorities the openness to neighboring countries and the establishment of a network of relations that serves the security, stability and development of the peoples of the region, it added.

As for the presence of coalition forces in Iraq, Abdul Mahdi confirmed that the government of Iraq appreciates their role in fighting terrorism and providing training and advice for the Iraqi forces.

The presence is at the invitation of the Iraqi government, it said, adding that there are no foreign military bases and no other goals for these coalition forces except for fighting Daesh (the Islamic State group) and training the Iraqi forces.

The security situation in Iraq witnessed tangible improvement, particularly after the Iraqi authorities declared full liberation of all areas once seized by the IS militants late in 2017. Enditem

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