BAGHDAD, Aug. 20 (Xinhua) -- Germany's Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Tuesday reaffirmed her country's readiness to continue its cooperation with Iraq over fighting terrorism.
The German minister made her remarks at a joint press conference with her Iraqi counterpart Najah al-Shammari in Baghdad, after their meeting to discuss military and intelligence cooperation as well as training of Iraqi armed forces.
"It is true that Islamic State (IS) group militarily was defeated in all areas, but the group still exists, and we want to help you defeat it once and for all," she said.
The minister noted that Germany has been providing logistic support to Iraq and has intelligence cooperation with Iraqi security forces in order to defeat terrorism.
Germany is part of the U.S.-led international coalition that is tasked with helping Iraqi security forces in the fight against the extremist IS militants. Iraq declared victory in defeating IS in late 2017 after years of fighting backed by the coalition.
The coalition has carried out thousands of airstrikes against IS positions in Iraq and Syria, while providing military equipment and training to Iraqi forces.
Earlier in the day, Kramp-Karrenbauer held meetings with Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and President Barham Salih over anti-terrorism cooperation and Germany's role in the anti-IS coalition.
A statement issued by the presidency's media office said the Iraqi president confirmed the importance of unifying the regional and international efforts in combating terrorism.
Salih said Iraq is keen to boost its ties with Germany in all fields, highlighting the importance of expanding military cooperation with EU countries to enhance the capabilities of the Iraqi armed forces.
The Iraqi president also underscored the need to deescalate regional tensions, amid rising dispute between the U.S. and Iran.
Meanwhile, Abdul Mahdi's media office said in a statement that he lauded Germany's role in supporting Iraq in the war against IS, while expressing the hope for continued cooperation on security and intelligence affairs.
For her part, Kramp-Karrenbauer expressed her country's desire to expand the relations with Iraq, and increase cooperation in the fields of security, economy and reconstruction.
