A delegation of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence visited Iraq from 23 to 26 May 2022. All in all, seven members from the Parliament's Sub-committee on Security and Defence originating from France, Lithuania, Estonia, Spain, Germany and Belgium, visited the country. The delegation was led by the Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence, Mrs Nathalie Loiseau.
The core objective of the visit was to assess the work of the EU Advisory Mission in Iraq (EUAM Iraq) and to better understand the operational realities on the ground, following the recent decision to extend the EUAM’s mandate to support the security sector reform, the fight against corruption and to protect cultural heritage.
The European delegation affirmed that the challenges are common in facing the threat of extremism and terrorism, and that the Iraqis were brave in confronting this danger, stressing their continued support for Iraq in the fields of health, mine removal, and advise on security sector reforms (SSR).
Baghdad Visit, May 23-24, 2022
The Parliament's Sub-committee on Security and Defence along with EUAM Iraq’s Head of Mission a. i. Ms. Anne Meskanen met with the Iraqi Prime Minister, Mustafa Al Kadhimi, Minister of Interior, Othman al-Ghanimi, Minister of Defence, Juma Inad, the President of Iraq, Mr. Barham Salih, First Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr. Hakim Al-Zamili and National Security Adviser Mr. Qassim Al Araji. Discussed topics included the challenges related to the local security situation, the threat of terrorism as well as the EU-Iraq partnership. Also, developing capacity of Iraqi security forces through sharing experiences, fighting corruption as well as terrorism, climate change, lack of water resources and European Union support to security sector reforms (SSR) in Iraq.
Media Coverage of Baghdad Visit
The press conference by Mrs. Nathalie Loiseau, Chair of the Parliament’s Sub-Committee on Security and Defence, attracted wide interest from the local media and was an opportunity to share insights about the visit and the high level meetings held.
- Al Taghier Channel Report on the Conference of the EUAM Iraq, European Union Members in Baghdad (In Arabic, total length 7min)
- Shafaq News - European official: We have close cooperation with Iraq in the fight against terrorism (In Arabic)
- Watch the full report below by Al-Iraqiya News TV (In Arabic, 2.20 minutes) featuring the meeting between with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Kadhimi, representatives of EUAM Iraq and EU Delegation in Iraq, as well as delegation of the Parliament's Security and Defence Sub-committee. Also, the news footage includes the interview with Mrs. Loiseau.
Erbil, Kurdistan Region of Iraq Visit, 25-26 May 2022
During the two-day visit, Parliament's Sub-committee on Security and Defence along with EUAM Iraq’s Head of Mission a. i. Ms. Anne Meskanen met with the Kurdistan Region of Iraq President Mr. Nechirvan Barzani, Mrs. Rewaz Faiq, speaker of Kurdistan Parliament, Shoresh Ismail Abdulla, Minister of Peshmerga Affairs, the KRG Minister of Interior Mr. Rebar Ahmed Khalid, and Deputy Speaker of Parliament Mr. Hemin Hawrami. Discussed topics included the the challenges related to Daesh, terrorism, regional security and internally displaced people. The meetings also focused on gender issues and relations with the European Parliament.
Media Coverage of Erbil Visit
The press conference of Mrs. Nathalie Loiseau in Erbil attracted wide interest from the local media where she gave an overview of the many discussions held with authorities in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq over the past two days.
- Rudaw Web Article - A delegation of the European Union Parliament has arrived in Erbil (In Kurdish)
- Kurdistan 24 English - European Parliament delegation visits Kurdistan as a message of friendship (In English, web article and video)
The visit concluded with the delegation exploring the Erbil Citadel where UNESCO Iraq representatives gave an overview of the EU-funded projects and restauration plans of this world heritage site.
