Baghdad Minister of Foreign Affairs Fouad Hussein affirmed: “Iraq looks forward to the support of the member states of the European Union to monitor the upcoming elections to ensure the achievement of free and fair elections.”
He said during his meeting with Dutch Foreign Minister Sickerd Kach, on the sidelines of his participation in the Foreign Affairs Council meeting of European Union Foreign Ministers in Luxembourg: “Iraq is keen to hold the elections on schedule,” stressing the Iraqi government’s commitment to human rights standards and its quest to cooperate with the international community in this field.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) received a copy of it: “The two sides discussed ways to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries, in the interest of the two friendly peoples.”
During the meeting, the two sides stressed the need for cooperation and coordination in the field of human rights through the Human Rights Council in Geneva, noting the Iraqi government’s commitment to human rights standards and its endeavor to cooperate with the international community in this field.
They also discussed the issue of removing Iraq from the European Commission’s list of countries with a high risk of money laundering and terrorist financing. The Dutch Minister promised to study the file, follow it up, and coordinate with the European Union countries in this regard.
The Minister expressed her country’s support for Iraq’s efforts to achieve security and stability, stressing the continuation of cooperation between the two countries and working to support the Iraqi government in sending observers to monitor the progress of the electoral process.
At the end of the meeting, Minister Hussein invited the Dutch Minister to visit Iraq to follow up bilateral files and joint cooperation.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency