Foreign relations of Iraq
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{{Politics of Iraq}}
Since 1980, the foreign relations of Iraq have been influenced by a number of controversial decisions by the Saddam Hussein administration. Saddam had good relations with the Soviet Union and a number of western countries such as France and Germany, who provided him with advanced weapons systems. He also developed a tenuous relation with the United States, who supported him during the Iran–Iraq War. However, the Invasion of Kuwait that triggered the Gulf War brutally changed Iraq's relations with the Arab World and the West. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and others were among the countries that supported Kuwait in the UN coalition. After the Saddam's administration was toppled by the 2003 U.S. invasion, the governments that succeeded it have now tried to establish relations with various nations.
Diplomatic relations
List of countries which Iraq maintains diplomatic relations with:
Bilateral relations
=Africa=
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|{{flag|Algeria}} | 1962, severed diplomatic relations 1979, restored September 2001 | * Algeria has an embassy in Baghdad. |
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|{{flag|Egypt}} | See Egypt–Iraq relations
Iraq's relations with the Arab and Middle Eastern world have been extremely varied. Relations between Iraq and Egypt violently ruptured in 1977, when the two nations broke relations with each other following Iraq's criticism of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's peace initiatives with Israel.{{Cite book |last=Ruysdael |first=Salomon |title=Speeches of Deception: Selected Speeches of Saddam Hussein |publisher=iUniverse |year=2004 |isbn=0595270395 |pages=328}} In 1978, Baghdad hosted an Arab League summit that condemned and ostracized Egypt for accepting the Camp David accords. However, Egypt's strong material and diplomatic support for Iraq in the war with Iran led to warmer relations and numerous contacts between senior officials, despite the continued absence of ambassadorial-level representation. Since 1983, Iraq has repeatedly called for restoration of Egypt's "natural role" among Arab countries. In January 1984, Iraq successfully led Arab efforts within the OIC to restore Egypt's membership. However, Iraqi-Egyptian relations were broken in 1990 after Egypt joined the UN coalition that forced Iraq out of Kuwait. Relations have steadily improved in recent years, and Egypt is now one of Iraq's main trade partners (formerly under the Oil-for-Food Programme). | |
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|{{flag|Libya}} | 21 May 1955 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 21 May 1955 when Mr. Abdul Munim Gailani, Envoy Extraordinary and minister Plenipotentiary of Iraq to Libya presented his letters of credence.{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/libya-from-foreign-office-files/FO%20540-6%20Libya%20Further%20correspondence%20%28Folder%205%29%201956/page/37/mode/1up?q=Libya+diplomatic+relations |title=Libya from Foreign Office files 1951-1956 |publisher=The National Archives (Kew, United Kingdom) |year=1951 |pages=37 |access-date=4 November 2023}}
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|{{flag|Nigeria}} | 6 September 1961 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 6 September 1961 when Iraq opened its embassy in Lagos.{{Cite book |last=Yitzhak Oron |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vzZ71Eh5QvMC&dq=first+ambassador+of+Iraq+to+Nigeria+arrived+and+open+embassy+...+1961&pg=PA294 |title=Middle East Record Volume 2, 1961 Volume 2 |publisher=Israel Oriental Society, The Reuven Shiloah Research Center |year=1961 |pages=294 |access-date=4 November 2023}}
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| {{Flag|Somalia}}
|17 October 1966 Both countries established diplomatic relations on 17 October 1966 when Iraq opened its embassy in Mogadishu. Under the administrations of Siad Barre and Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, relations were exceptionally close, this close relationship carried on through Saddam Hussein's tenure as well. Somalia supported the Arab coalition forces in the Yom Kippur War which included Iraq.{{Cite news |last=Fouad |first=Israa Ahmed |date=April 24, 2024 |title=The Somali Ambassador congratulates the Egyptian President, government and people on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of the liberation of Sinai |url=https://www.youm7.com/story/2024/4/24/%D8%B3%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B5%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%8A%D9%87%D9%86%D8%A6-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%B1-%D8%B1%D8%A6%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%A7-%D9%88%D8%AD%D9%83%D9%88%D9%85%D8%A9-%D9%88%D8%B4%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%A8%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%B3%D8%A8%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B0%D9%83%D8%B1%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%8042/6554535 |work=Al-Youm al-Saba'a}} Iraq supported Somalia in the Ogaden War and provided multifaceted support in terms of oil, armaments and even an expeditionary force to assist Somalia.{{Cite news |date=1977-09-03 |title=Ethiopians Say Arabs Help Somalia |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/09/03/archives/ethiopians-say-arabs-help-somalia.html |access-date=2024-05-06 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} Somalia was suspected to be a source of fissile material for the Iraqi nuclear weapons program.{{Cite web |author-link=Director of Central Intelligence |date=October 2002 |title=Iraq's Continuing Programs for Weapons of Mass Destruction |url=https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB129/nie.pdf }}
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|{{flag|Sudan}} | 3 May 1956 | Sudan has an embassy in Baghdad and Iraq's embassy is in Khartoum.
During the war between Iraq and Iran in the 1980s, Sudan maintained a careful balancing act, calling for a cessation of hostilities but sympathizing with Iraq.{{citation-attribution|1={{Cite encyclopedia |title=Foreign Relations |encyclopedia=Sudan: a country study |publisher=Federal Research Division, Library of Congress |location=Washington, D.C. |url=https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Sudan.pdf |last=Shinn |first=David H. |date=2015 |editor-last=Berry |editor-first=LaVerle |edition=5th |pages=275–296 |isbn=978-0-8444-0750-0 }} Though published in 2015, this work covers events in the whole of Sudan (including present-day South Sudan) until the 2011 secession of South Sudan. |access-date=14 October 2020 |archive-date=7 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207192820/https://www.loc.gov/rr/frd/cs/pdf/CS_Sudan.pdf |url-status=live }} Sudan on several occasions offered to mediate the conflict. By 1988, Sudan called for an end to the war on the basis of United Nations Security Council Resolution 598. Sudan supported Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, leading to a period of close relations with Baghdad. Iraq was believed to have supplied weapons to Sudan and in the mid-1990s agreed to help Sudan exploit its oil wealth. Although Sudan was trying to improve relations with the United States after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, it remained critical of the subsequent American-led invasion of Iraq. Following the overthrow of the Ba'athist regime, however, Sudan's position on Iraq became more nuanced. On the one hand, it was quick to criticize the United States, which harshly condemned Sudan's record on human rights, for its double standard in dealing with prisoners in Iraq. It also advised Sudanese not to work with U.S. contractors in the country. By late 2004, however, Sudan's relations with the new Iraqi government had improved to the point that Iraq's foreign minister visited Khartoum and met with al-Bashir. Subsequently, Sudan generally avoided commenting on Iraq. |
=Americas=
=Asia=
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| {{Flag|Armenia}}
|12 February 2000
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|{{Flag|Azerbaijan}} |30 March 1992 |
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|{{flag|China}} | 25 August 1958 | See China–Iraq relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 25 August 1958.{{Cite web |date=11 April 2013 |title=Bilateral Relations between China and Iraq |url=http://iq.china-embassy.gov.cn/eng/zygx/zygxgk/ |access-date=13 September 2023 |website=Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Iraq}}
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|{{flag|India}} | 1947 | See India–Iraq relations
India and Iraq maintained strong relationships since Indian independence. |
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|{{flag|Indonesia}} | 27 February 1950 | See Indonesia–Iraq relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 27 February 1950 when President Sukarno appointed Bagindo Dahlan Abdullah, a member of the Central Indonesia National Committee, to serve as the ambassador of the United States of Indonesia to Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan, with a permanent residence in Baghdad. Indonesia and Iraq shared similarity as the Muslim majority countries. Both nations share their experiences in rebuilding and development. Indonesia has an embassy in Baghdad, while Iraq has an embassy in Jakarta. Both nations are partners in multilateral organizations, such as World Trade Organization (WTO), The Non-Aligned Movement and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). After World War II, Iraq had been one of the first countries to recognize Indonesia's independence in 1945. The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1950 and have signed around 15 agreements to boost bilateral ties. Indonesia has maintained its embassy in Baghdad during various crises, such as the Iran–Iraq war in the 1980s. However, at the height of the Iraq War, Indonesia was forced to temporarily closed its embassy in Baghdad in 2003, and reopen it in June 2011.{{Cite news |date=2 July 2011 |title=RI embassy in Baghdad resumes activity |work=The Jakarta Post |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/07/02/ri-embassy-baghdad-resumes-activity.html |url-status=dead |access-date=5 June 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231000541/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/07/02/ri-embassy-baghdad-resumes-activity.html |archive-date=31 December 2013}} In 2003, Indonesian Government and people protested against a U.S.-led military campaign against Baghdad. Over 50,000 Indonesian people crowded the streets of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta on Sunday, 9 February 2003, to protest the United States' threat of military action against Iraq.{{Cite web |date=9 February 2003 |title=Indonesians protest against Iraq war |url=http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/02/09/sprj.iraq.indonesia.protest/ |access-date=5 June 2013 |publisher=CNN |archive-date=31 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131231010251/http://edition.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/southeast/02/09/sprj.iraq.indonesia.protest/ |url-status=live }} After the war ended and Indonesia reopen its embassy in 2011, relations between the two countries have developed at a fast pace. Iraq invited Indonesia's companies to participate in the reconstruction of Iraq.{{Cite web |last=Heru |date=4 July 2012 |title=Indonesia invited to participate in reconstruction of Iraq |url=http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/83235/indonesia-invited-to-participate-in-reconstruction-of-iraq |access-date=5 June 2013 |publisher=Antara News |archive-date=7 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120707034841/http://www.antaranews.com/en/news/83235/indonesia-invited-to-participate-in-reconstruction-of-iraq |url-status=live }} Traditionally Indonesia sees Iraq as the source of energy, such as oil and gas. On the other hand, Iraqi people are familiar with Indonesian exported products such as tires, soaps, spices, furniture, coal, clothing, palm oil, shoes, paper, automobiles, rubber and electronic goods. |
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|{{flag|Iran}} | 25 April 1929 | See Iran–Iraq relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 25 April 1929 when Iran formally recognized Iraq and appointed a diplomatic representative to Baghdad.{{Cite book |last=Chelsi Mueller |title=The Origins of the Arab-Iranian Conflict Nationalism and Sovereignty in the Gulf Between the World Wars |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2020 |pages=111}} In 1988 Iraq's main foreign policy issue was the war with Iran. This war had begun in September 1980, when Saddam Hussein sent Iraqi forces across the Shatt al Arab into southwestern Iran. Although the reasons for Saddam Husayn's decision to invade Iran were complicated, the leaders of the Baath Party had long resented Iranian hegemony in the Persian Gulf region and had especially resented the perceived Iranian interference in Iraq's internal affairs both before and after the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Their objectives were to halt any potential foreign assistance to the Shias and to the Kurdish opponents of the regime and to end Iranian domination of the area. The Baathists believed a weakened Iran would be incapable of posing a security threat and could not undermine Iraq's efforts to exercise the regional influence that had been blocked by non-Arab Iran since the mid-1960s.{{cite book|last=Motin|first=Dylan|title=Territorial Expansion and Great Power Behavior During the Cold War: A Theory of Armed Emergence|year=2025|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=1041029683|pages=104–106}} By early 1982, the Iraqi occupation forces were on the defensive and were being forced to retreat from some of their forward lines. In June 1982, Saddam Hussein ordered most of the Iraqi units to withdraw from Iranian territory; after that time, the Ba'athist government tried to obtain a cease-fire based on a return of all armed personnel to the international borders that prevailed as of 21 September 1979. Iran did not accept Iraq's offer to negotiate an end to the war. Similarly, it rejected a July 1982 United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire. Subsequently, Iranian forces invaded Iraq by crossing the Shatt al Arab in the south and by capturing some mountain passes in the north. To discourage Iran's offensive, the Iraqi air force initiated bombing raids over several Iranian cities and towns. The air raids brought Iranian retaliation, which included the aerial bombing of Baghdad. Although Iraq eventually pushed back and contained the Iranian advances, it was not able to force Iranian troops completely out of Iraqi territory. The perceived threat to Iraq in the summer of 1982 thus was serious enough to force Saddam Hussein to request the Nonaligned Movement to change the venue of its scheduled September meeting from Baghdad to India; nevertheless, since the fall of 1982, the ground conflict has generally been a stalemated war of attrition—although Iran made small but demoralizing territorial advances as a result of its massive offensives in the reed marshes north of Basra in 1984 and in 1985, in Al Faw Peninsula in early 1986, and in the outskirts of Basra during January and February 1987. In addition, as of early 1988 the government had lost control of several mountainous districts in Kurdistan where, since 1983, dissident Kurds have cooperated militarily with Iran. Saddam Hussein's government has maintained consistently since the summer of 1982 that Iraq wants a negotiated end to the war based upon the status quo ante. Iran's stated conditions for ceasing hostilities, namely the removal of Saddam Hussein and the Baath from power, however, have been unacceptable. The main objective of the regime became the extrication of the country from the war with as little additional damage as possible. To further this goal, Iraq has used various diplomatic, economic, and military strategies; none of these had been successful in bringing about a cease-fire as of early 1988. Although the war was a heavy burden on Iran and Iraq politically, economically, and socially, the most profound consequence of the war's prolongation on Iraq, was its impact on the patterns of Iraq's foreign relations. Whereas trends toward a moderation of the Baath Party's ideological approach to foreign affairs were evident before 1980, the war helped to accelerate these trends. Two of the most dramatic changes were in Iraq's relationships with the Soviet Union and with the United States. During the course of the war Iraq moved away from the close friendship with the Soviet Union that had persisted throughout the 1970s, and it initiated a rapprochement with the United States. Iraq also sought to ally itself with Kuwait and with Saudi Arabia, two neighboring countries with which there had been considerable friction during much of the 1970s. The alignment with these countries was accompanied by a more moderate Iraqi approach to other Arab countries, such as Egypt and Jordan, which previously Iraq had perceived as hostile. Iraqi–Iranian relations have remained cool since the end of the Iran–Iraq War in 1988. Outstanding issues from that war, including prisoner of war exchanges and support of armed opposition parties operating in each other's territory, remain to be solved. Relations appear to have improved since March 2008, when Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made a two-day visit to Iraq. |
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|{{flag|Israel}} | See Iraq–Israel relations
Iraq does not recognise Israel. Iraq participated in the Arab–Israeli wars of 1948, 1967 and 1973, and traditionally has opposed all attempts to reach a peaceful settlement between Israel and the Arab States. Israel attacked Iraq's nuclear research reactor under construction near Baghdad in July 1981. During the Iran–Iraq war, Iraq moderated its anti-Israel stance considerably. In August 1982 President Hussein stated to a visiting U.S. Congressman that "a secure state is necessary for both Israel and the Palestinians." Iraq did not oppose then President Reagan's 1 September 1982 Arab-Israeli peace initiative, and it supported the moderate Arab position at the Fez summit that same month. Iraq repeatedly stated that it would support whatever settlement is found acceptable by the Palestinians. | |
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|{{flag|Jordan}} | 24 May 1947 | See Iraq–Jordan relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 24 May 1947 when Jamil Pasha el Rawi, the first Iraqi Minister to Transjordan, presented his credentials.{{Cite book |last=Robert L. Jarman |title=Political Diaries of the Arab World: 1947 |publisher=Archive Editions |year=2001 |pages=601}} Iraq's relations with Jordan have improved significantly since 1980, when Jordan declared its support for Iraq at the outset of the Iran–Iraq War. Jordan's support for Iraq during the Persian Gulf War resulted in a further improvement of ties. Relations have cooled since the current King of Jordan took office in 2000, but remain good. King Abdullah of Jordan has become the first Arab leader to visit Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, a landmark step towards reducing Baghdad's isolation among its Arab neighbours. Jordan is one of a small number of Arab countries to have named ambassadors to Iraq.{{Cite news |date=11 August 2008 |title=Jordan's Abdullah first Arab leader to visit Iraq |work=ABC News |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/12/2332118.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120717213135/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/12/2332118.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=17 July 2012 |access-date=21 February 2015}} |
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|{{flag|Kuwait}} | 10 January 1964 | See Iraq–Kuwait relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 10 January 1964.{{Cite web |date=10 January 2016 |title=Today in Kuwait's History |url=https://www.kuna.net.kw/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=2481597&language=en |access-date=9 September 2023 |website=Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)}} After the Iran–Iraq War ended, Kuwait declined an Iraqi request to forgive its US$65 billion debt. An economic rivalry between the two countries ensued after Kuwait increased its oil production by 40 percent. Iraq interpreted Kuwait's decision to increase its oil production as an act of aggression. The tense relations between Iraq and Kuwait were further aggravated months later when Iraq accused Kuwait for slant-drilling across the border into Iraq's Rumaila field{{Cite journal |last=Stork, Joe |first=Lesch, Ann M |year=1990 |title=Background to the Crisis: Why War? |journal=Middle East Report |issue=167 |pages=11–18 |doi=10.2307/3012998 |jstor=3012998}} In August 1990, Iraq invades Kuwait and was shortly annexed as a province. The invasion of Kuwait in 1990 resulted in its government-in-exile, the US, Saudi Arabia, and most Persian Gulf states to sever relations with Baghdad and joining the United Nations coalition that drove Iraqi forces out of Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War. In August 2019, Iraq sent a protest letter to the United Nations regarding the geographical changes that the Government of Kuwait has made in the maritime area that lies beyond marker 162 in Khor Abdullah by upraising a shoal, which is designated as Fisht al-Aych.{{Cite journal |last=Iraq |date=2019-08-09 |title=Letter dated 7 August 2019 from the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General |url=https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3823898 |language=en |journal= |access-date=23 December 2021 |archive-date=21 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221101431/https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3823898 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=UK |first=Integrity |title=Ku-wait Right There! Iraq Accuses Kuwait of Infringing Shared Maritime Borders – Integrity UK |url=https://www.integrityuk.org/ku-wait-right-there-iraq-accuses-kuwait-of-infringing-shared-maritime-borders/ |access-date=2021-12-23 |language=en-US |archive-date=10 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210510105912/https://www.integrityuk.org/ku-wait-right-there-iraq-accuses-kuwait-of-infringing-shared-maritime-borders/ |url-status=live }} In March 2021, Iraq announced that it has so far paid $50 billion in war reparations to Kuwait while Iraq's dues now amount to only $2.5 billion.{{Cite web |title=Iraq says paid $50 bln in war reparations to Kuwait |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iraq-says-paid-50-bln-in-war-reparations-to-kuwait/2161854 |access-date=2021-12-23 |website=www.aa.com.tr |archive-date=23 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223113855/https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/iraq-says-paid-50-bln-in-war-reparations-to-kuwait/2161854 |url-status=live }} |
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|{{flag|Lebanon}} | 24 February 1944 | See Iraq–Lebanon relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 24 February 1944.{{Cite book |last=KHOURY Gérard |title=Sélim Takla 1895-1945. Une contribution à l'indépendance du Liban |publisher=Karthala Editions |year=2004 |pages=376 |language=fr}} Both countries have refused to recognize Israel and have supported the Palestinians. Throughout history, Iraq's relations with Lebanon have been relatively close, both politically and culturally. During the regime of Saddam Hussein, the leader of the Ba'ath Party had strong relations with Bachir, and Amine Gemayel; relations grew even stronger when Iraqi officials verbally lashed out against Israel's actions in the 2006 War. |
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|{{flag|North Korea}} | 9 July 1968 | See Iraq–North Korea relations
Diplomatic relations started on 9 July 1968, but were cut on 10 October 1980 after Iran–Iraq War. DPRK and Iraq re-established relations on 29 September 2008. Iraq had an embassy in Pyongyang and DPRK had an embassy in Baghdad between 1970 and 1980.{{Cite web |url=http://www.mofa.gov.iq/ |title=Iraq Ministry of Foreign Affairs |access-date=20 July 2016 |archive-date=8 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160308062329/http://mofa.gov.iq/ |url-status=live }} |
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|{{flag|Oman}} | 1976 | Iraq and Oman relations date back to the Sumerians, who used to call the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula region as Magan.{{Cite news |date=13 April 2014 |title=Envoy speak: Oman-Iraq relations flourish in new era |work=Times of Oman |url=https://timesofoman.com/article/32687 |access-date=13 May 2019 |archive-date=13 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513133605/https://timesofoman.com/article/32687 |url-status=live }} Oman closed its embassy in Iraq after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990. On May 12, 2019, Oman announced to reopen its embassy in Baghdad.{{Cite news |date=12 May 2019 |title=Oman Says It Will Reopen Its Embassy in Iraq |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2019/05/12/world/middleeast/ap-ml-oman-iraq.html}} |
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|{{flag|Pakistan}} | 1947 | See Iraq–Pakistan relations
Diplomatic relations started in 1947. Iraq and Pakistan have had close, friendly, and cooperative relations since the latter's independence in 1947. Issues such as Iraqi support for Pakistan in its 1971 war with India (Indo-Iraqi relations), and Pakistani support for Iraq against Iran in the Iran-Iraq War have forged relations between the two. Relations soured during the Gulf War when Pakistan contributed troops for the UN Coalition, seeing it as a betrayal due to Iraq's constant support for Pakistan in their previous wars with India. In 2002, Saddam Hussein visited India and said he gave his unwavering support to India over the Kashmir dispute. In 2003, Pakistan rejected US's request to send troops for the invasion which have helped soothed relations between the two. |
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|{{flag|Philippines}} | 12 January 1975 | See Iraq–Philippines relations
The Philippines and Iraq formally established diplomatic relations on January 12, 1975, with the opening of the Iraqi Embassy in Manila.{{Cite web |date=August 29, 2023 |title=Iraqi delegation visiting PH for bilateral meet after 10 years |url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1208758 |access-date=13 September 2023 |website=Philippine News Agency}} This was followed by the opening of the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad on September 9, 1980. Due to security concerns, the Philippines moved its embassy to Amman in Jordan in 2004 while Iraq closed its embassy in Manila in September 2003. The Philippine Embassy returned to its chancery in Baghdad in November 2011. |
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|{{flag|Saudi Arabia}} | 7 April 1931 | See Iraq–Saudi Arabia relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 7 April 1931 when Iraq and Saudi Arabia signed Treaty of Friendship.{{Cite book |last=Joshua Yaphe |title=Saudi Arabia and Iraq as Friends and Enemies. Borders, Tribes and a History Shared |publisher=Liverpool University Press |year=2021 |page=35}} Saudi leaders were relieved when Iraq was defeated, but they recognized that relations with Baghdad had been damaged. Consequently, postwar Saudi policy focused on ways to contain potential Iraqi threats to the kingdom and the region. One element of Riyadh's containment policy included support for Iraqi opposition forces that advocated the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's government. In the past, backing for such groups had been discreet, but in early 1992 the Saudis invited several Iraqi opposition leaders to Riyadh to attend a well-publicised conference. To further demonstrate Saudi dissatisfaction with the regime in Baghdad, Crown Prince Abdallah permitted the media to videotape his meeting with some of the opponents of Saddam Hussein. |
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|{{flag|South Korea}} | 9 July 1989 | Both countries established diplomatic relations on 9 July 1989.{{Cite web |title=Overview |url=https://www.mofa.go.kr/eng/nation/m_4902/view.do?seq=185 |access-date=13 September 2023 |website=Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Korea}}
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|{{flag|Sri Lanka}} | 22 February 1961 | See Sri Lanka–Iraq relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 22 February 1961 when the first Ceylonese Ambassador to Iraq presented his credentials.{{Cite book |last=Yitzhak Oron |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vzZ71Eh5QvMC&dq=first+Ceylonese+Ambassador+to+Iraq+presented+credentials+...+22+February+1961&pg=PA294 |title=Middle East Record Volume 2, 1961 Volume 2 |publisher=Israel Oriental Society, The Reuven Shiloah Research Center |year=1961 |pages=294}}
Iraq was the largest buyer of Sri Lankan tea during the reign of Saddam Hussein. Ties between Sri Lanka and Iraq were disrupted during the Iraq War. However, in 2018 Iraq re-emerged as the largest buyer of Sri Lankan Tea.{{Cite web |title=Iraq emerges to be the No. 1 buyer of Sri Lankan Tea in 2018 | History of Ceylon Tea |url=https://www.historyofceylontea.com/ceylon-publications/ceylon-tea-articles/iraq-emerges-to-be-the-no-1-buyer-of-sri-lankan-tea-in-2018.html |access-date=10 April 2019 |archive-date=10 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190410152510/https://www.historyofceylontea.com/ceylon-publications/ceylon-tea-articles/iraq-emerges-to-be-the-no-1-buyer-of-sri-lankan-tea-in-2018.html |url-status=live }} |
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|{{flag|Syria}} | 11 February 1945 | See Iraq–Syria relations
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 11 February 1945 when the first time establishment of a Syrian Legation at Baghdad and appointment of Baha ud Din al Bakri as Chargé d'Affaires ad interim to Iraq.{{Cite book |last=Alan de Lacy Rush, Jane Priestland |title=Records of Iraq, 1914-1966: 1941-1945 |publisher=Archive Editions |year=2001 |pages=555}} The political states of Iraq and Syria were formed by the United Kingdom and France following the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. Iraq and Syria are united by historical, social, political, cultural and economic relations, but share a long foreign drawn border. The land known as Mesopotamia is Iraq and eastern Syria and is called such by its inhabitants. Political relations between Iraq and Syria have in the past seen difficulties, however, new diplomatic relations described by both sides as "Historic" were established in November 2006, beginning an era of close cooperation and political friendship between Iraq and Syria.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6167968.stm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171020032014/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6167968.stm |date=20 October 2017 }} Iraq and Syria restore relations |
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|{{flag|Turkey}} | 16 January 1928
Both countries established diplomatic relations on 16 January 1928 when has been accredited the first Iraqi ambassador to Turkey Salih Nishat. The first Turkish ambassador, Lütfi Tokay, also presented his letters of credence in Baghdad on 21 December 1929.{{Cite web |last=Dr. Mustafa BOSTANCI |date=2017 |title=IRAK'TA MONARŞİNİN SONU (1958 IRAK İHTİLALİ): III. İHTİLALE KADAR TÜRKİYE-IRAK İLİŞKİLERİ |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327363989 |access-date=13 September 2023 |page=251 |language=tr}} In 1988 Iraq maintained cordial relations with Turkey, its non-Arab neighbor to the north. Turkey served as an important transshipment point for both Iraqi oil exports and its commodity imports. A pipeline transported oil from the northern oil fields of Iraq through Turkey to the Mediterranean Sea. Trucks carrying a variety of European manufactured goods used Turkish highways to bring imports into Iraq. There was also trade between Turkey and Iraq, the former selling Iraq small arms, produce, and textiles. In addition, Iraq and Turkey have cooperated in suppressing Kurdish guerrilla activities in their common border area.{{Cite web |title=AllRefer.com - Iraq - Relations with Other Countries {{!}} Iraqi Information Resource |url=http://reference.allrefer.com/country-guide-study/iraq/iraq82.html |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=reference.allrefer.com |archive-date=3 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603235301/http://reference.allrefer.com/country-guide-study/iraq/iraq82.html |url-status=live }} | |
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|{{flag|United Arab Emirates}} | See Iraq–United Arab Emirates relations | |
| {{Flag|Yemen}}
|7 March 1961 |See Iraq–Yemen relations Both countries established diplomatic relations on 7 March 1961{{Cite book |last=Yitzhak Oron |title=Middle East Record Volume 2, 1961 Volume 2 |publisher=Israel Oriental Society, The Reuven Shiloah Research Center |year=1961 |pages=157}} Relations between Yemen's former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, and Iraq's former president, Saddam Hussein, were very close, as Saleh supported Iraq in the Gulf War.{{Cite web |date=2005-01-14 |title=Persian Gulf War, Desert Storm - War with Iraqi |url=http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/desertstorm.html |access-date=2022-12-26 |archive-date=14 January 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050114141303/http://www.laughtergenealogy.com/bin/histprof/misc/desertstorm.html |url-status=dead }}
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=Europe=
{{See also|Iraq–European Union relations}}
In September 2005, a joint political declaration between the European Union and Iraq was signed which forms the basis of regular political dialogue. A Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and Iraq is in the process of being negotiated and will probably be concluded during 2008.
July 2005 saw the introduction of EUJUST LEX, the European Union's rule of law operation intended to train Iraqi police and legal officials in human rights along with other issues. Over 1,400 Iraqis have already taken part in training courses.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/8899 |title=Sweden's relations with Iraq |access-date=10 June 2009 |archive-date=17 May 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090517065453/http://www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/8899 |url-status=live }}
= Oceania =
Member of international organizations
Iraq belongs to the following international organizations: Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, Arab League, Arab Monetary Fund, Council of Arab Economic Unity, Customs Cooperation Council, Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, G-77, International Atomic Energy Agency, International Monetary Fund, International Maritime Organization, Interpol, International Organization for Standardization, International Telecommunication Union, Non-Aligned Movement, Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, United Nations, Universal Postal Union, World Health Organization and World Bank, MENAFATF.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Iraq's relations with other countries and with international organizations are supervised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1988 the minister of foreign affairs was Tariq Aziz, who was an influential leader of the Ba'ath Party and had served in that post since 1983.{{Cite web |title=Iraq – Foreign Policy |url=http://countrystudies.us/iraq/81.htm |access-date=12 February 2009 |publisher=countrystudies.us |archive-date=16 October 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016101039/http://countrystudies.us/iraq/81.htm |url-status=live }} Aziz, Saddam Hussein, and the other members of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) formulated Iraq's foreign policy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs bureaucracy implemented RCC directives. The Baath maintained control over the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and over all Iraqi diplomatic missions abroad.
Since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Hoshyar Zebari was first appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Iraqi Governing Council in Baghdad on 3 September 2003. On 28 June 2004, he was reappointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs by the Iraqi Interim Government, under Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. On 3 May 2005 he was sworn in as Minister of Foreign Affairs by the Iraqi Transitional Government, under Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari. On 20 May 2006, he was delegated in for the fourth consecutive time as Foreign Minister in the government of Nouri Al-Maliki.
International disputes
Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al-Arab waterway; in November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the United Nations-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991), 773 (1992), and 883 (1993); this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands although the government continues periodic rhetorical challenges; dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.meepas.com/IraqtradeanddiplomaticrelationswiththeEU.htm Iraq – Trade and Diplomatic Relations with the EU]
{{Iraq topics}}
{{Foreign relations of Iraq}}
{{Asia topic|Foreign relations of}}
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