ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Outgoing Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Wednesday issued his farewell address ahead of the expected presentation of premier-designate Ali al-Zaidi's cabinet to the Iraqi parliament on Thursday, emphasizing the achievements of his tenure and stressing the salience of Iraq's neutrality in seeking to insulate itself from regional violence.

"Our governmental work began on October 28, 2022, following a serious political crisis that shook the country and could have led it to dangerous consequences," Sudani said in his address, referring to the year-long political standstill Iraq faced following the October 2021 parliamentary elections that saw Muqtada al-Sadr's faction resign despite having won the most seats as a result of the Coordination Framework blocking his government formation efforts.

Sudani, the Framework's candidate, took the reins, with his premiership having been shaped by serious regional developments to include the US military drawdown in Iraq, two episodes of conflict between the US, Israel, and Iran, and the toppling of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.

"We faced regional and international challenges represented by an escalating conflict that threatens to spread, and we worked to keep the fire away from our land and our people," the premier said in his address.

Iraq "has managed to redefine its position through balanced diplomacy and expanding the scope of political initiative, while emphasizing non-alignment in regional axes," he added.

Despite such efforts, Iraq was incessantly targeted by both sides of the recent US-Israeli war on Iran.

He also stressed the extensive construction and redevelopment efforts undertaken during his leadership, with The Economist in 2025 dubbing Baghdad "The world's surprise boomtown" amid a cascade of urban regeneration projects.

"We have successfully built nearly 1,000 kilometers of new external roads and paved approximately 130 million square meters of streets."

"Iraq's investments have exceeded more than 114 billion dollars," Sudani continued. "Iraq has signed ambitious contracts and agreements with major international companies such as BP, Total, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Halliburton."

"The total refining capacity of Iraqi refineries increased from 600,000 barrels per day in 2022 to nearly 1.2 million barrels per day at the beginning of 2026."

"We are determined to support the new government," he concluded, wishing the next premier well after he won the Framework's candidacy bid despite talk that Sudani would perhaps stay on in the role after US President Donald Trump vociferously rejected frontrunner Nouri al-Maliki, sending the nomination process into turmoil.

Zaidi’s designation as prime minister was welcomed by a wide spectrum of domestic and foreign powers, including the US, with Trump personally welcoming the designation.

According to a handout of the session’s agenda seen by The New Region, the Iraqi parliament is set to hold a vote on Thursday to approve the country’s next government presented by the businessman-turned-politician.

Zaidi is bound by the Iraqi constitution to present his cabinet within 30 days of his appointment as prime minister-designate on April 27.