On 22 June, EUAM Iraq Head of Mission Christoph Buik met with Lt. Gen. Abdul Ameer Al-Shammari, Deputy Head of Joint Operations Command for Iraq (JOC-I) and Head of the Supreme Security Committee for Elections. 

The discussion centred around the Mission’s possible advisory role on issues related to election security for the parliamentary elections slated for 10 October 2021. In a very informative and cordial meeting the issues of cyber-security and command and control were thoroughly considered as priority areas. 

EUAM engagement in election security has become even more relevant after the EU High Representative/Vice President Josep Borrell announced – in the margins of the Foreign Affairs Council attended also by Iraqi Foreign Affairs Minister Fuad Hussein – the deployment of an EU Observation Mission to Iraq during the October’s poll, as it seeks to ensure stability to the country.