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Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Select Committee on Intelligence, released a statement regarding President Obama’s meeting today with visiting Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki:

“Given our recent shared history and Iraq’s geostrategic location in the Middle East, the United States has a vested interest in seeing Iraq succeed. Unfortunately, since the United States military withdrawal from Iraq in December 2011, the trends have been concerning. Violence is on the rise and Prime Minister al-Maliki’s style of governance has reopened sectarian divisions rather than united the Iraqi people. I urge President Obama to make clear to the Prime Minister that the United States is concerned about these developments and that the solution to Iraq’s problems lies not in a closer alliance with Tehran, but in bridging divides within Iraq and reinvigoration of the U.S.-Iraqi partnership. 

“Iraq needs our support but U.S. assistance must be conditioned on certain actions by the Iraqi government, including cooperation in shutting down Iran’s use of Iraqi territory and airspace to support Assad’s war machine in Syria. We have spent far too many American lives, dollars, and too much time in that country to stand by as extremists and rogue actors once again use Iraq to attempt to sow chaos and instability in this vital region.”