UNITED NATIONS - United Nations Security Council recognized the challenges facing Iraq in transitioning into a post-conflict environment and the need for economic reform, the co-leaders of the council's first ever visit to the country said Thursday.

In a mission co-led by Kuwait and the United States, council members visited Kuwait City and Baghdad on June 28 and 29, meeting with high-level officials to better gauge the situation on the ground.

In a joint briefing, the co-leads described the visit's itinerary and conclusions reached about current achievements and challenges.

Kuwaiti UN ambassador Mansour Ayyad Al-Otaibi said the purpose of the trip was "five-fold."

"It first aimed at demonstrating support for Iraq's post-conflict recovery and reconstruction. It also was to observe and support efforts of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and of the United Nations Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh)," he said.

It further aimed to recognize the challenges ahead, he said, including addressing the humanitarian situation, the need for economic reform and attracting inward investment, and to better understand the aspirations and concerns of the Iraqi people as they begin the process of stabilizing and rebuilding their country.

"Finally, the visit hoped to address the issue of Kuwaiti and third-party nationals and the return of Kuwaiti property, including national archives, in line with Resolution 2107 (2013)," he noted.

In Baghdad, council members met with Iraqi interlocutors, conveying the council's recognition of remaining challenges in Iraq's post-conflict recovery and reconstruction.

Russia's UN deputy permanent representative, Vladimir K. Safronkov, recalling the visit, said contact with regional players confirmed that the council mission remains "an important instrument" in its activities.