Japan-Iraq Relations
Courtesy Call on H.E. Mr. Al-Kadhimi, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq
August 21, 2021
On August 21th, commencing at 1:40 p.m. (local time, 7:40 p.m. JST) for 30 minutes, Mr. MOTEGI Toshimitsu, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Mustafa AL-KADHIMI, Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, during his visit to Iraq. The overview is as follows.
- At the outset, Minister Motegi stated that it is a pleasure to visit Iraq as it is the first time in 15 years for the Foreign Minister of Japan to visit Iraq and the first time since 2003 from his last visit as Senior Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs. Further, he stated that Japan places great importance on realizing the stability of Iraq and has consistently supported Iraq's nation-building efforts since 2003, and, he mentioned that Japan has singed the Exchange of Notes this month concerning for grant aid to implement the Project for Electoral Assistance to provide necessary supplies for holding the parliamentary election of Iraq. He also stated that he would like to continue to develop the bilateral relations between Japan and Iraq in a wide range of areas, which celebrated the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2019. In response, Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi expressed his gratitude for Japan’s support and his willingness to learn a lot from Japan’s insight and experience.
- Minister Motegi stated that he appreciates the publication of the "White Paper for Economic and Financial Reforms" under the direction of Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi, and stated that Japan looks to support Iraq's reform efforts together with the international community through the "Iraq Economic Contact Group." In addition, both sides followed up on the "Senior Officials Meeting on Supporting Job Creation and Vocational Training to Facilitate Weapons Reduction for Iraqi Society" held in 2018, and also exchanges views on means to improve the business and investment environment in Iraq.
- Moreover, Minister Motegi explained Japan's efforts toward the realization of a "Free and Open Indo-Pacific (FOIP)" and stated that he was confident that the principles set out in the vision would contribute to the development of the Middle East. In response, Prime Minister Al-Kadhimi expressed his willingness to further strengthen the cooperative relationship with Japan.