On May 28, 2014, Ambassador Faily spoke to a group of twenty young professionals in Washington, DC who are members of the Young Professionals in Foreign Policy (YPFP) group.
Ambassador Faily spoke about the relationship between the United States and Iraq and the key challenges and opportunities that he works to address as an ambassador to the United States. The Ambassador explained to the young professionals that one of the main agenda items for the Embassy of Iraq in the U.S. and for him as ambassador is to build an understanding between the two countries so that effective and constructive dialogue and action may take place. Further, Ambassador Faily stressed that managing expectations on both sides is key to strengthening bilateral relations.
Following Ambassador Faily’s remarks, he answered questions from the members and discussed how the success of the recent parliamentary elections offer opportunities to strengthen democracy in Iraq; the many infrastructure, transportation and business opportunities that Iraq is exploring to continue growing its economy; and broader issues related to ongoing political developments in the Middle East.