Minister Pusić begins official visit to Iraq

(Hina) - Croatia's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Vesna Pusić, began an official visit to Iraq...

(Hina) - Croatia's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Vesna Pusić, began an official visit to Iraq on Saturday by meeting with the Speaker of Parliament, Salim al-Jabouri.

"With this visit Croatia confirms our traditionally good relations and its intention to further strengthen the cooperation with Iraq," Minister Pusić said, adding that Croatia was well aware of the challenges faced by Iraq and appreciated the efforts by the Iraqi government. "We understand very well what it means to successfully defend a country and then build stability and security," she said.

Minister Pusić said that many Croatian companies were interested in cooperation with Iraqi companies, noting that this was a sign that the situation was improving because the economy was becoming an important topic. Croatian companies that once operated in Iraq still enjoy a very good reputation, which is an excellent foundation for the continuation of cooperation, she said.

Speaker of Parliament al-Jabouri said that his country was still facing very serious challenges, but that the situation was slowly improving. He said that their priority was security, namely to defeat terrorism, while the second important aspect concerned the reconstruction of the country and restoration of trust within society. Parliament is strongly working on the inclusion of all parts of the Iraqi society, and cooperation with the international community is also conducted through the parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee.

Minister Pusić said that "Croatia intends to strengthen its relations with Iraq," highlighting the role of the two parliaments in that regard. "Development cooperation, which we see as one of the foreign policy instruments, also needs the support and cooperation of Parliament," she said.

Minister Pusić said that Iraq would be a very important partner to the European Union in the future, notably in the area of energy, combating terrorism and dealing with the issue of migrations.

The Croatian minister was also due to meet on Saturday with Jan Kubish, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Iraq.

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