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Iraqi PM Mustafa al-Kadhimi, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein in Berlin on October 20, 2020. Photo: Alla Shally/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Iraq prioritizes France and Germany over other European countries when building relations with other states, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told Rudaw on Tuesday.
“Since Mustafa al-Kadhimi took office as prime minister, this government’s policy has been focusing on a number of countries - regional and others - as essential ones while keeping others as of secondary importance. In Europe, the focus is on France and Germany,” said Hussein, who is accompanying Kadhimi on his tour to Europe.
He elaborated that the reason behind choosing these two countries as their focus is their international importance in terms of the economy, diplomacy and military.
“Therefore, the prime minister wanted to set off his Europe tour with France Germany. We will later go to the UK.”
A senior Iraqi delegation led by Kadhimi began a European tour on Sunday, meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Jean Castex at the Elysee Palace in Paris. He arrived in Germany late Monday and met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday.
During a joint press conference with Merkel in Berlin, Kadhimi said his government seeks German support in boosting democracy in his country.
"We are looking forward to benefiting from Germany in order to consolidate democratic institutions and hold free and fair elections,” he said, adding that they will make sure the election will be transparent.
He also said that both countries have many commercial and economic partnerships.
“We are close to announcing the start of the second phase of the roadmap implemented by the German company Siemens in the field of rehabilitating the electricity sector in Iraq,” Kadhimi told reporters.
Kadhimi's visit to Europe comes as Iraq is gripped by an economic crisis, exacerbated by a drop in oil prices and the global coronavirus pandemic, and attacks on diplomatic missions by Iran-backed militia groups that have been met with international condemnation.
The Iraqi PM later met with Germany’s businessmen, telling them that “Iraq has great confidence in the work of German companies.”
Additional reporting by Alla Shally
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