PETALING JAYA: After two decades of closure, the Malaysian embassy in Iraq is set to reopen as announced by Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir. The embassy had been shut down due to the unrest in Baghdad. The decision to reopen the embassy has been conveyed to the Iraqi government following Zambry’s official visit to the country from Aug 23 to 25. This visit marks the first official ministerial visit to Iraq since 2002. The visit also resulted in other achievements such as Iraq’s intention to start regular flights to KLIA and exploring more areas of cooperation between the two countries in various sectors including economy, education, air links, and tourism (The Star, n.d).
Dr Fuad Hussein, Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister for International Relations Affairs and Foreign Affairs Minister, had extended an invitation to Zambry for this historic visit. Zambry described the visit as opening a new chapter in the relationship between Malaysia and Iraq. He also expressed Malaysia’s willingness to increase trade and investment, especially in exports of furniture, pharmaceutical products, electrical and electronic products, and commodities to Iraq. Furthermore, Malaysia discussed the operational status of PETRONAS in Iraq and explored wider opportunities in the energy sector (The Star, n.d).
During the visit, Zambry also had the opportunity to meet with Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani, and Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi. Apart from reopening the embassy, other achievements during the visit included encouraging high-level visits between the two countries and implementing the Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) that had been delayed since 2005. Malaysia also expressed its willingness to participate in construction projects, airport management, road systems, water resource management, and increased cooperation in the field of education through exchanges of staff, researchers, and students (The Star, n.d).
The Iraqi government has requested Malaysia’s assistance in sharing its experience and expertise to help in the reconstruction efforts in Iraq. Zambry also mentioned that Malaysia, Iraq, and Turkey will have a greater role in addressing the issue of Islamophobia. He sees this visit as a testament to the unity government under the leadership of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim in improving bilateral relations between Malaysia and Islamic countries, including Iraq. Zambry believes this visit marks the beginning of Malaysia playing a proactive role in international relations, particularly in West Asia, as part of the Prime Minister’s active diplomacy mission (The Star, n.d).
Credit: The Star : News Feed
