ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - History proves that instability in Iraq has devastating repercussions on the Middle East, the UK’s ambassador to Iraq said on Tuesday, noting that Britain’s main interest is to ensure “stability and prosperity” persists in the country.
“Our main interest in Iraq is true stability and prosperity in your country, because we have learned the lessons of history that when there is instability in Iraq, its effects are not confined to Iraq and they spread across the region … even to the UK,” said UK Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Hitchen at a forum held in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil.
The ambassador also commended the fact that the discussion at the Middle East Research Institute (MERI) forum was focused on Iraq’s stability rather than counter-terrorism, namely the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).
“We have changed from the relationship where we were assisting to a relationship of equals, of respect for your sovereignty,” Hitchen said.
This message was also echoed by the other members of the panel. “We are equally supportive now … to help the German government work closely with Iraq,” said Henning Speck, national security advisor at the CDU/CSU group in the German parliament.
The ambassador also touched on the growing trade between Baghdad and London, highlighting that the UK has no longer considers Iraq as a “place of threat.”
“Our trade in the last year has gone up by 85 percent,” he said. “British businessmen for the first time are starting to look at Iraq as a place of opportunity rather than a place of threat.”
In July, the outgoing British Ambassador to Iraq, Mark Bryson-Richardson, told Rudaw that trade relations between the two countries were at their highest since the emergence of ISIS.
The former UK ambassador also addressed the possibility of Iraq joining the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, saying that such a move would allow Iraq to become part of a wide international group focused on investment opportunities in the private sector, and could “hopefully” lead to investments coming into Iraq from the bank.
A two-day strategic dialogue was held between Iraqi and British officials in London in July, with the UK reiterating its commitment to supporting Baghdad in various sectors and both sides agreeing to increase cooperation on economic, human rights, and security matters.
The UK has helped train the Kurdish Peshmerga during the war on ISIS and is part of a team of international allies working on major reforms of the Peshmerga ministry. There are up to 1400 British personnel in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, providing military assistance and advice to the Peshmerga and Iraqi security forces.
The UK-Iraq strategic dialogue aims to build on the Strategic Partnership signed between the countries in 2021. The next strategic dialogue is set to be held in Baghdad in 2024.
Thomas Seiler, the head of the EU delegation to Iraq, said that Brussels has a “fundamental” interest in Iraq’ stabilization process.
“This region has been for a long time, a region with risks - political, economic, and security risks. We have a fundamanental interest that Iraq stabilizes more and more,” Seiler said.
