Thank you so much, Prime Minister.
It is an honour to be here in Baghdad with Prime Minister Al-Abadi.
It is an honour to be able to say thank you to the Australian armed forces personnel who have been helping the government and the people of Iraq in the struggle against the Daesh death cult which now holds sway over much of Eastern Syria and significant parts of Northern Iraq.
This is an important struggle.
It's a struggle not just for the people of Iraq, and not just for the people of this region, but for the whole world – because the Daesh death cult, the ISIL death cult, has declared war against the world.
We haven't just seen millions of people displaced, we haven't just seen tens of thousands of people killed here in Iraq; we haven't just seen the beheadings, the crucifixions, the mass executions and the sexual slavery here in Iraq, we have also seen exhortations from the death cult to people right around the world to engage in acts of terrorism, and even Australia has had its brush with terrorism in recent weeks.
Australia has been active here in Iraq since August of last year: first, with humanitarian food drops in Mt Sinjar and elsewhere; second, with delivering weapons to those who are fighting against the Daesh death cult; more recently, with air strikes as part of an international coalition; and, most recently, with training and assistance for the Iraqi Counter Terrorism Service.
We are determined to deepen our cooperation with the government and the people of Iraq in the weeks and months to come: not because we are a country which goes forward seeking foreign fights, but because where our vital national interests are threatened, where universal values are at stake, Australia should be a strong partner.
Australia should be the best possible international citizen and this is what we believe we are doing here in Iraq.
At the same time as being militarily active, we are also increasing our humanitarian assistance to the government and the people of Iraq, and I can today announce a further $5 million in food aid towards people who have been displaced by the Daesh conflict here in Iraq.
This is my first visit to Baghdad. It is my first visit to Iraq.
Iraq is a country which has suffered a very great deal. First, decades of tyranny under Saddam Hussein. Then, the chaos and confusion that followed the American-led invasion. Most recently, the tumult, the dark age, which has descended upon Northern Iraq as a result of the Daesh death cult, but Australia will do what we can to help.
I want to thank Prime Minister Al-Abadi for the work that he is doing. He has an extraordinarily difficult job.
The people of Iraq are going through an extraordinarily difficult time, but Australia is a friend of the Iraqi people and we will do everything we reasonably can to support the Iraqi government as it does what's necessary to restore its control over its own country and its own citizens.
So, again, Prime Minister, thank you so much for making me welcome and I look forward to a strong and constructive partnership in the weeks and months ahead.
[ends]