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.