The Head of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Iraq Samira Cosovic and PFG member Zoran Tomic met today at the National Assembly House with Senior Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq Nizar Al-Khairallah, currently visiting the Republic of Serbia.
Samira Cosovic said that the six decades of friendship between the two countries date back to the times of former Yugoslavia. There are no open issues between Serbia and Iraq, she added, and there is always room to improve cooperation in various areas.
Cosovic said that interparliamentary cooperation is an important segment of bilateral relations and expressed confidence that, with the improvement of the epidemiological situation, the planned exchange of visits of parliamentary delegations would soon happen. That will contribute to the deepening of cooperation between the two parliaments’ friendship groups as well as working bodies. She pointed out that it is extremely important to improve cooperation within international parliamentary organisations, especially the Inter-Parliamentary Union.
Samira Cosovic thanked her guest for Iraq's adherence to the principled position of non-recognition of the self-proclaimed independence the so-called state of Kosovo, despite external pressures, opining that there is mutual support between our states as regards preserving sovereignty and territorial integrity.
She said that Serbia also gives full support to the Iraqi fight against the Islamic State, highlighting Serbia's readiness for cooperation with Iraq in the fight against extremism and terrorism.
Senior Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Iraq Nizar Al-Khairallah agreed with his host that the two countries have a long history of friendly relations, pointing out that parliaments can make great contributions in the field of diplomacy and that the exchange of parliamentary experiences and knowledge is of mutual interest.
He expressed support for Serbia's position on the issue of Kosovo-Metohija, stating that Iraq is in a similar situation and is also determined to solve problems with its neighbours peacefully and achieve regional security and cooperation.
Nizar Al-Khairallah drew attention to the many contemporary challenges, such as terrorism, migration, climate change, which require joint efforts and global cooperation to be defeated.
PFG member Zoran Tomic said that Serbia is focused on regional cooperation and maintaining good neighbourly relations, as evidenced by the donation of vaccines to the countries of the region in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Tomic also mentioned as very important the initiative of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to establish "Mini Schengen" in order to improve regional cooperation, as well as the European integration of the Western Balkans.
In the course of the meeting, the officials came to the conclusion that cooperation in the field of military industry is of great importance and that there is untapped potential for improving cooperation between Serbia and Iraq in the fields of construction, energy, infrastructure, food industry and IT, as well as culture and education.
