US reiterates pledge to keep improving energy cooperation with Iraq

The United States and Iraq remained committed to strengthening bilateral energy cooperation, said a National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Wednesday. The U.S. and Iraq held the second meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) on Energy in Baghdad, the Iraqi capital, Wednesday. "The United States and Iraq remain committed to the development of Iraq's electricity, oil, and gas sector in an effort to build a strong economy that is capable of meeting the needs of the Iraqi people and bringing greater stability to world markets," said NSC spokesperson Caitlin Hayden. He added the United States was looking forward to hosting the third meeting of JCC on Energy in Washington D.C. on a date to be announced later. The JCC on Energy was established by the 2008 Strategic Framework Agreement between Iraq and the United States to strengthen the two nation's strategic partnership on a variety of initiatives. The first such meeting was hosted by the U.S. in April 2012.