Iraq
From left: German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein in Baghdad on March 7, 2023. Photo: Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock Tuesday arrived in Baghdad and is expected to visit the Kurdistan Region as well to discuss a range of topics with the heads of both governments. She will also meet with the displaced people during her three-day trip, according to her office.
Baerbock arrived in Baghdad on Tuesday, holding a joint press conference with her Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein who thanked Germany for its support in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) and its role in rebuilding the war-torn country’s economy and infrastructure.
“Foreign Minister Baerbock will have talks with the Iraqi Prime Minister and Foreign Minister about cooperation and German support for Iraq’s stabilisation efforts. Germany’s military engagement as part of the Global Coalition to Counter ISIS and the NATO Mission Iraq remains a very important factor,” read a statement from Baerbock’s office before she arrived in Baghdad.
The German minister will also meet with the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), anti-ISIS coalition and NATO Mission Iraq, added the statement.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani arrived in Germany in January, signing a number of memorandums of understanding (MOUs) on electricity.
The German minister met with Sudani who "highlighted the importance of continuing bilateral communication and cooperation and exchanging security information," according to a statement from his office.
He also expressed Iraw's "readiness for all forms of partnerships and investment opportunities and welcomed the contribution of German companies in building the infrastructure in Iraq."
At the end of the meeting, Iraq signed a set of contracts with the German Siemens Energy which contains "comprehensive rehabilitation and service works for Kirkuk, Al-Rasheed, and Al-Sadr gas-fired power plants," Sudani's office said.
The German military has been an essential member of the global coalition against ISIS and has a solid presence in the Kurdistan Region. In late October, the German parliament voted to extend its military mandate to the country by a year to continue its advisory role against the threat of ISIS.
Baerbock will also visit the Kurdistan Region’s Erbil and Duhok provinces to meet with Kurdish leaders and visit the displaced people and survivors of ISIS atrocities, according to the German foreign ministry.
“In Erbil, Foreign Minister Baerbock will also talk to representatives of the Kurdistan-Iraq regional government about how to create prospects for the survivors… The city of Dohuk has in recent years taken in many internally displaced persons and refugees, both from Iraq and Syria. Here, Annalena Baerbock will talk to survivors in a refugee camp for internally displaced persons,” added the statement.
The German in January recognized the ISIS crimes against Yazidis as “genocide.”
Updated at 9:22 pm
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