Luxembourg Foreign Minister Condemns Iran Missile Attack on Iraq

Luxembourg's Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Jean Asselborn, paid a working visit to the Republic of Iraq.

On Tuesday 29 March 2022, Minister Asselborn met the President of the Republic of Iraq, Barham Salih, the Prime Minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, Foreign Minister, Fuad Hussein, and the Speaker of Parliament, Mohamed al-Halbousi in Baghdad on Tuesday. The meetings were focused on the strengthening of bilateral relations, as well as on the political situation in Iraq and in the region. The war in Ukraine and its consequences for the world were also discussed.

Minister Asselborn confirmed Luxembourg's support for stabilisation in Iraq, in particular through support of €700,000 per year for mine clearance in the Mosul region. Minister Asselborn also took the opportunity to condemn the missile attack, claimed by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, against Erbile on 13 March 2022: “These attacks are unacceptable. Iraq is not a playground where foreign forces can wage their proxy wars. It is a sovereign state whose territorial integrity must be respected by all.”

Minister Asselborn congratulated the Iraqi government for the adoption of the "Law on Yazidi survivors", which represents a huge step forward for the recognition of the atrocities committed by Daesh against the Yazidi community and for the restoration of the dignity of the victims. As part of its mandate at the United Nations Human Rights Council (2022-2024), Luxembourg has set itself the objective of working for effective international criminal justice in order to put an end to impunity for the most serious crimes affecting the entire international community, such as genocide, crimes against humanity or war crimes. Minister Asselborn therefore examined with his interlocutors how the international community can support the Iraqi authorities in the implementation of this important law.

Minister Asselborn also paid a visit to the NATO mission in Iraq and spoke with the deputy commander, as well as with a non-commissioned officer of the Luxembourg army currently deployed within the mission. NATO's mission in Iraq is a non-combat advisory and capacity-building mission, conducted with full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq. During the discussions, Minister Asselborn underlined Luxembourg's support for the mission and thanked the Luxembourg non-commissioned officer for his service.

On Wednesday 30 March 2022, Minister Asselborn continued his working visit to Erbil, capital of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, where he met the president of the regional government Nechirvan Barzani, the head of the Foreign Relations Department, Safeen Dizayee, as well as the President of the Kurdish Democratic Party, Masoud Barzani. The discussions focused in particular on the relations between the Kurdish regional government and the federal government in Baghdad, the latest regional developments as well as on migration. Minister Asselborn thanked his interlocutors for the excellent cooperation of the Iraqi authorities in the context of the crisis triggered in July 2021 by the Belarusian regime on the borders of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The majority of migrants exploited by the Belarus regime for political blackmail came from the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and at least 21 people were killed. "This tragic situation once again shows the urgent need to work together to strengthen legal channels for migration," asserted Minister Asselborn.

Finally, Minister Asselborn met with representatives of the "Coalition for Just Reparations", a network of Iraqi civil society organisations which is committed to reparations for the victims of Daesh. Minister Asselborn will conclude his visit to Iraq with a visit to a camp for displaced people in the Duhok region.