US President Donald Trump on Tuesday welcomed Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the White House on Tuesday, praising his recent election victory and expressing optimism about US-Iraq relations.
"We have a fantastic champion, a new champion, and he won the election very soundly, very conclusively," Trump said at a meeting with al-Zaidi.
Trump said the two leaders would discuss bilateral ties and highlighted Iraq's vast energy resources.
"We'll be discussing that a little bit with you, but they have tremendous oil reserves," he said.
Al-Zaidi took office in May, succeeding Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, following Iraq's November's parliamentary elections and months of coalition negotiations.
"We love Iraq ... this man just won a big election. They are very well represented, I can tell you that," Trump told reporters earlier as he welcomed al-Zaidi to the White House.
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