The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stressed on Sunday 19 March, on the occasion of the third EU-Iraq Cooperation Council, that the EU wanted to strengthen its partnership with Baghdad.
This is the third Cooperation Council, and is being held after a seven-year break due to the situation in the country and the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the second Council, “Iraq has made a lot of progress - considerable progress - and it is in our interest to help stabilise the situation further and support the authorities”, the High Representative said, adding that the aim of the meeting was to strengthen cooperation by building on the “strong partnership” that already exists.
“We are, among other things, important trading partners. We have excellent cooperation in the field of security. We are part of the anti-Da’esh coalition. We have our civilian mission, the EU Assistance Mission to Iraq (EUAM Iraq), which is helping to reform the security sector”, Mr Borrell said. He said that migration was an “important area” in which the EU and Iraq should move forward together, “as soon as possible”.
The High Representative welcomed the fact that the fight against corruption is a priority for the Iraqi government, which has an ambitious national programme including many reforms. “We want to support these reforms and encourage our Iraqi friends to continue on this path”, promised Mr Borrell, who also highlighted Iraq’s constructive role in the region.
Furthermore, at their Council, the EU and Iraq agreed on a joint declaration on ‘sustainable development, the ecological transition, governance, regional connectivity and sustainable financing’.
See the statement: https://aeur.eu/f/5wa (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)