BAGHDAD — French President Emmanuel Macron pledged support for Iraq on Wednesday and said the main challenges facing the country are Daesh (so-called IS) militants and foreign interference in its affairs.

“We are here for and we will continue to support Iraq,” Macron said at a news conference in Baghdad with his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih.

Iraq should not become a battleground for proxy conflicts between other states, Salih said.

Macron’s visit is the first by a Western leader to Iraq since Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi took office in May, becoming the third head of government in a chaotic 10-week period that followed months of deadly protests in a country exhausted by decades of sanctions, war, corruption and economic challenges.

Kadhimi was selected by parliament in May to head a government that would guide the country toward early elections and has called for one to be held in June 2021. His predecessor Adel Abdul Mahdi quit under pressure from protests against corruption and foreign interference in December last year.

Macron flew into Baghdad from a two-day visit to Beirut.

The trip was not publicly announced until Tuesday evening.

Addressing reporters in Beirut, Macron said he was heading to Baghdad "to launch an initiative alongside the UN to support a process of sovereignty", adding that "the fight for Iraq's sovereignty is essential".

France is part of a US-led international coalition tasked with helping the Iraqi security forces fight against Daesh militants by carrying out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria as well as providing military equipment and training to domestic forces. — Agencies