Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – Steven Fagin, a US ambassador, is set to return to Baghdad to lead the US Mission in Iraq, with economic ties and American investment expected to be significant in his new role.
Before returning to Iraq’s capital, Fagin met with members of the US Chamber of Commerce’s US-Iraq Business Council.
Fagin met with Steve Lutes, Vice President for Middle East Affairs at the US Chamber of Commerce, and executives from major corporations with substantial interests in Iraq, such as GE Vernova, BP, and Baker Hughes.
The conversations come as Washington and Baghdad aim to capitalize on the economic momentum produced by Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi’s recent visit to the United States and the Chamber’s U.S.-Iraq Business Summit.
Fagin has substantial expertise in Iraq, having previously served as deputy head of mission at the US Embassy in Baghdad and other high diplomatic positions in the area.
He is scheduled to succeed Joshua Harris, the current Charge d’Affaires and senior US diplomatic envoy in Iraq, whose term is coming to an end.
That shift was highlighted earlier Thursday, when Iraqi President Nizar Amidi met with Harris in Baghdad and reiterated Iraq’s commitment to deepening ties with the United States under the Strategic Framework Agreement.
Amidi said that Baghdad wants to expand bilateral collaboration and improve coordination in areas of mutual interest, implying that the leadership change at the US mission would result in continuity rather than a resetting of relations.
Fagin’s homecoming comes at a crucial point in US-Iraq relations. Baghdad seeks more American investment in energy, infrastructure, finance, and technology as the two nations prepare for a significant shift in their security relationship.
Iraq has set September 30 as the date for the end of the US-led coalition’s military mission, possibly shifting the focus from October on direct bilateral economic, political, and security relations.
Baghdad’s business connections with Washington are becoming more vital as the government strives to diversify an economy that is still highly reliant on oil and attract big multinational corporations.
The Chamber said that it hopes to work closely with Fagin and use his past expertise in Iraq to promote the US-Iraq commercial partnership.
His return may therefore coincide with a wider transition in relationships, from a partnership traditionally dominated by security cooperation to one in which American investment, commerce, and Iraq’s economic growth play a considerably greater role.
