BAGHDAD, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday confirmed UN's support to Iraq and the continuing of its programs in the war-torn country.

In a statement by his office, the Prime Minister-designate Abdul-Mahdi received a phone call from Guterres, who congratulated Abdul-Mahdi for his appointment to form the government.

Guterres confirmed UN's support to Iraq in all aspects, including the continuation of its programs in Iraq, as well as the need for stability and reconstruction.

For his part, Abdul-Mahdi confirmed Iraq's need to increase the international community's support during the next stage in various aspects, particularly after Iraq achieved victory over Islamic State (IS) group, and its efforts to reconstruct Iraqi cities and provide services to its people, the statement said.

On Oct. 2, the Iraqi parliament elected Barham Salih as president of Iraq, who later named Abdul-Mahdi as prime minister-designate and tasked him with forming the new government for the next four years.

According to the Iraqi constitution, the prime minister-designate has 30 days to put together a cabinet and present it to parliament for approval.

On Dec. 9, 2017, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi officially declared full liberation of Iraq from the IS extremist group. Enditem