Baghdad: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior agreed on Monday to open new stations for issuing passports and national identity cards in a number of capitals and cities around the world.

According to Iraqi News Agency, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein received the Ministry's Senior Undersecretary, Hussein Al-Awadi, and Director General of the Civil Status, Passports and Residency Department, Lieutenant General Nishtat Al-Khafaji. The meeting discussed ways to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior in a manner that would improve services provided to members of the Iraqi community abroad and facilitate the completion of their transactions.

The meeting also addressed efforts to remove obstacles facing the issuance of passports and national identity cards for Iraqi citizens abroad, as well as expanding existing passport and national ID issuance stations and establishing new ones in areas where such services are unavailable.

The ministry noted that the meeting emphasized the opening of new passport and national identity issuance stations in several capitals and cities worldwide, including locations in France, Sweden and Los Angeles. The move is expected to expand the scope of consular services, facilitate Iraqi citizens' access to official documents abroad, and reduce the time and effort required to complete their transactions.