The MFA is undertaking intensive diplomatic and consular activities regarding the recent events in Iraq

Hauliers and drivers working in Iraq are not legally obliged to notify the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Croatian diplomatic and consular offices before travelling, and they are not doing so, regardless of the seriousness of the situation. A timely notice would be useful in crisis situations. Unfortunately, the Ministry in notified only when something happens.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises the hauliers and drivers to notify the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development, and, of course, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, or the nearest diplomatic and consular office of the Republic of Croatia if they are already under way. We would like to warn once again about the difficult and dangerous situation in Iraq and the Ministry’s travel advice not to travel to Iraq, now also because of the information that a large number of Croatian hauliers and drivers are doing business in Iraq.

Despite the fact that the Republic of Croatia does not have diplomatic relations with Iraq, and covers Iraq and most of the countries of the Middle East through its embassy in Cairo, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently undertaken intensive diplomatic and consular activities. Apart from daily contacts with the Croatian embassies in Cairo, Ankara and Teheran, it also requested Poland’s assistance, which has an embassy in Iraq. The Ministry has agreed with the Polish side on consular protection of the Croatian citizens, and various other channels of diplomatic communication have been opened as well. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs formed a working group with the task of co-ordinating and acting as regards the recent events in Iraq. For any information, the Croatian citizens in Iraq, as well as members of their families, can contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at: 4569964.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is ready to offer assistance and protection to the Croatian citizens at any time, and would like to ask of the citizens to co-operate and follow its travel advice and warnings based on expert judgements of the security situation in a given part of the world.