BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 28. Croatia’s Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Gordan Grlić Radman, paid an official visit to the Republic of Iraq, where he was hosted by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Fuad Hussein, Trend reports.
This was a return visit following Minister Hussein’s visit to Zagreb last year, during which a Memorandum of Understanding on Political Consultations between the two ministries was signed.
During his stay in Baghdad, Minister Grlić Radman met with the President of the Republic of Iraq, Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein, Minister of Defense Thabet Mohammad Al-Abbasi, Minister of Interior Abdul Amir al-Shammari, Minister of Environment Halla Mustafa Al-Askari, and Deputy Minister of Electricity Mohammed Nimaa Al-Tufaili.
He also met with the European Union Ambassador to Iraq, Klemens Semtner, visited the NATO Mission in Iraq where he met with Croatian soldiers, and delivered a lecture to future ambassadors at the Institute of Training Leaders for the New Ambassadors.
During the talks, the minister and his interlocutors expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral relations so far and confirmed their readiness to further deepen cooperation. Special emphasis was placed on economic and energy cooperation, as well as on the defense industry and demining, in which Croatian companies are already achieving notable results.
Minister Grlić Radman highlighted the projects of the Croatian company Končar, which is participating in the reconstruction of the Haditha hydroelectric power plant, as well as the successes of DOK-ING and HS Produkt, which offer advanced technological solutions in the fields of security and demining.
“Croatia is interested in further strengthening cooperation with Iraq — a country of great potential and an important partner in the region. Our common goal is a stable, secure, and prosperous Iraq,” Minister Grlić Radman emphasized.
Discussions also covered regional and international topics, including the situation in the Middle East and Iraq’s cooperation with the European Union. Croatia supports the efforts of the Iraqi Government in promoting dialogue, peace, and de-escalation in the region, and fully backs the strengthening of relations between the EU and Iraq.
Minister Grlić Radman stressed that Croatia and Iraq share the experience of post-war reconstruction and that Croatia can offer its expertise in demining, infrastructure reconstruction, and institutional strengthening.
In his meetings with Iraqi officials, Minister Grlić Radman also recalled Croatia’s long-standing humanitarian activities in Iraq, including the education of children about the dangers of mines and the cooperation between the Croatian Mine Action Centre and Iraqi institutions. He particularly emphasized the 2018 visit of a delegation from the Croatian Mine Action Centre, led by Đurđa Adlešić, which reaffirmed Croatia’s long-term support for Iraq in the field of humanitarian demining.
The minister’s delegation to Iraq also included representatives of the Croatian companies DOK-ING, HS Produkt, and Končar, further underscoring the strong economic interest and potential for cooperation between the two countries.
