Jean Asselborn’s working visit to Iraq

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On March 29 in Baghdad, Jean Asselborn met the President of the Republic of Iraq, Barham Salih, Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, and Speaker of Parliament, Mohamed al-Halbousi. The interviews allowed to focus on the strengthening of bilateral relations, as well as on the political situation in Iraq and in the region. The war in Ukraine and its consequences for the world were also discussed.

Minister Asselborn confirmed Luxembourg’s support for stabilization in Iraq, in particular through support of 700,000 euros per year for mine clearance in the Mosul region. The head of Luxembourg’s diplomacy also took the opportunity to condemn the missile attack, claimed by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, against Erbile on March 13: “These attacks are unacceptable. Iraq is not “It’s not a playground where foreign forces can wage their wars by proxy. It’s a sovereign state whose territorial integrity must be respected by all.”

Furthermore, Minister Asselborn congratulated the Iraqi government for the adoption of the “Law on Yazidi survivors”, which represents a huge step forward for the recognition of the atrocities committed by Daesh against the Yazidi community and for the restoration of the dignity of the victims. As part of its mandate at the United Nations Human Rights Council (2022-2024), Luxembourg has set itself the objective of working for effective international criminal justice in order to put an end to impunity for the most serious crimes affecting the entire international community, such as genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. Minister Asselborn therefore examined with his interlocutors how the international community can support the Iraqi authorities in the implementation of this important law.

Finally, Minister Asselborn took the opportunity of his stay in Baghdad to pay a visit to the NATO mission in Iraq and to speak with the deputy commander, as well as with a non-commissioned officer of the Luxembourg army currently deployed within the mission. NATO’s mission in Iraq is a non-combat advisory and capacity-building mission, conducted with full respect for Iraq’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. During the discussions, Minister Asselborn underlined Luxembourg’s support for the mission and thanked the Luxembourg non-commissioned officer for his service.

On March 30, Jean Asselborn continued his working visit to Erbil, capital of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, where he met the president of the regional government Nechirvan Barzani, the head of the Foreign Relations Department, Safeen Dizayee, as well as the President of the Kurdish Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani. The discussions focused in particular on the relations between the Kurdish regional government and the federal government in Baghdad, the latest regional developments as well as on migration. Minister Asselborn thanked his interlocutors for the excellent cooperation of the Iraqi authorities in the context of the crisis triggered in July 2021 by the Belarus regime on the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The majority of migrants exploited by the Belarus regime for political blackmail came from the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and at least 21 people were killed. “This tragic situation once again shows the urgent need to work together to strengthen legal channels for migration,” noted the minister.

Finally, Minister Asselborn met with representatives of the “Coalition for Just Reparations”, a network of Iraqi civil society organizations which is committed to reparations for the victims of Daesh. Tomorrow, Jean Asselborn will conclude his visit to Iraq with a visit to a camp for displaced persons in the Duhok region.

Press release by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs

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