INTERVIEW: Iraq expects Azerbaijani companies to enter its market
By Zakir Gasimov
News.Az presents an interview with Dr. Moataz Mohyiddin Abdel Hamid, Director of the Center for Strategic Studies of the Republic of Iraq and Chairman of the Iraq-Azerbaijan Friendship Society.
- In the last 20 years, diplomatic relations between Iraq and Azerbaijan have been steadily developing at all levels and are considered very successful. Especially in the past three years, thanks to a shared vision and sincere intentions, Iraq-Azerbaijan relations have strengthened, and various aspects of cooperation in different fields have been successfully identified for further development through continuous coordination and political consultations between the two countries.
Azerbaijan has been one of the countries that stood by Iraq during its toughest times. It supported Iraq's fight against terrorism and echoed its voice in international organizations. In turn, Iraq showed solidarity with Azerbaijan during its honorable 44-day war.
The successes achieved in diplomatic relations are primarily due to factors such as the principle of mutual respect and esteem, relying on the exchange of ideas in the field of politics, and respecting the rights and obligations of the two countries. Azerbaijan's victory and the return of Karabakh lands through a sacred war was a significant event that brought great joy and appreciation among the Iraqi people. The Supreme Religious Council in Najaf al-Ashraf, especially the institution led by Mr. Al-Hakim, fully supported these victories. Two important committees of the Iraqi parliament also issued statements fully supporting the Azerbaijani people's right to liberate their historical lands from the clutches of Armenian occupiers.
- What can you say about the impact of Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid's visit to Azerbaijan in early March of this year on the development of relations between the two countries?
- The visit of Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid to Baku on March 1 this year and his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had a significant impact on relations between the two countries. This was the first visit of the Iraqi president to this friendly Muslim state. This visit opened wide horizons for the development of economic relations between our countries in various fields.
During the meeting with the President of Azerbaijan, the sides discussed bilateral relations between Iraq and Azerbaijan, and the heads of state emphasized the necessity to further develop and expand this cooperation in areas such as investments, tourism, energy, and others, taking into account the interests of both countries.
President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid reiterated during this meeting that Iraq has overcome numerous political upheavals, established a government, and achieved a situation characterized by special stability in political, economic, and security fields. He spoke about creating a conducive environment that includes concessions and other easing measures to attract investment for economic revival, and discussed the investment opportunities and their scale between Iraq and Azerbaijan in the near future. The Iraqi president noted, "Iraq eagerly awaits the entry of Azerbaijani companies into its domestic market. Following the signing of numerous memorandum of intent during the Iraqi president's visit to Azerbaijan last November, cooperation opportunities in the field of investment have expanded. These memoranda of intent played a crucial role in creating bridges that unite the two countries in important areas such as economy, politics, culture, and transport, serving the interests of both nations."
- Can you specify which particular areas of cooperation you can mention within this framework?
- At the current stage of friendly business relations between the two countries, as mentioned above, the entry of Azerbaijani companies into Iraq's domestic market is of significant importance, which we eagerly await.
Additionally, the signing of memoranda of intent for mutual investments has provided broad opportunities. It is necessary to mention the visit of Azerbaijan's Minister of Digital Development and Transport Rashad Nabiyev to Iraq, where he met with Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani, government officials, and business people. During these meetings, issues of cooperation in fields such as international freight transport, infrastructure, energy, defense industry, education, cultural relations, and more were discussed.
In the meeting between the Azerbaijani minister and his Iraqi counterpart, Minister of Communications Hiyam al-Yasiri, the sides discussed cooperation issues in the field of communications and information technologies between our countries. The guest provided information about the level of development of the communications and information technology industry in Azerbaijan, as well as the concessions and easing measures applied in the fields of taxes and customs for investors in this area.
- Our next question is about our political relations. How do you see their current level and development prospects?
- Iraq recognized Azerbaijan's independence on January 2, 1992. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on March 30, 1992, and in the same year, the Iraqi embassy was opened in Azerbaijan.
The history of cooperation between Iraq and Azerbaijan goes back 40 years. Iraq was one of the first countries to recognize Azerbaijan's independence and open its embassy in this country.
Relations between Iraq and Azerbaijan began to develop in an upward trajectory especially in 2003, after official visits between the two countries, the opening of embassies in Baghdad and Baku, and the expansion of tourist trips and religious visits. Iraqis came to Azerbaijan for the first time, witnessing the friendship and brotherhood feelings that bind the two Muslim nations.
In June 2015, Iraq's Minister of Oil under Haider al-Abadi's government, Adil Abdul-Mahdi, visited Baku, where he met with President Ilham Aliyev and other officials. Upon returning to Iraq, in an article in Justice newspaper, which he headed, he described the feelings of bilateral brotherhood that surrounded this visit and the meetings held during it as follows: "A few days ago, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the Minister of Energy, we were on an official visit to Azerbaijan. During the visit, President Ilham Aliyev received us, and we signed a memorandum of intent on cooperation in the energy sector with the minister of energy."
- What can you say about the cultural ties between our peoples and the activities reflecting them?
- After the establishment of the Iraq-Azerbaijan Friendship Society, we started publishing a newspaper called Sadaqa (Friendship) two years ago. In this newspaper, hundreds of articles and studies dedicated to your just struggle against Armenian aggressors have been published. Articles written by many Iraqi and Azerbaijani authors have also been published. The society also organizes seminars and festive gatherings dedicated to the national holidays of the Azerbaijani people, introducing Azerbaijan to the Iraqi people. For instance, we held events dedicated to the anniversaries of the great poet Nizami Ganjavi and the Sufi poet Fuzuli Baghdadi at the Ministry of Culture. During the cultural symposium held in honor of the liberation of the city of Shusha, I delivered a lecture on the publication of my book "Shusha is the Jewel of Azerbaijan." The symposium was attended by dozens of writers and journalists, and a presentation ceremony of the book was held. We also assisted in the publication of the Turkmen cultural journal dedicated to Fuzuli Baghdadi. In this journal, dozens of articles and studies about the poet Fuzuli were published, and the event included the presentation of the book "Poetry of Fuzuli Baghdadi" by the writer Abdulaziz Sameen al-Bayati.
I should note that we are planning to open an Azerbaijani Cultural House in Baghdad under the name "Fuzuli Baghdadi's House of Culture." We also plan to hold joint scientific conferences in Baku with the participation of ANAS, Khazar University, and the International Dialogue Center. Additionally, we should mention that last year, we held a successful international scientific conference dedicated to the anniversary of the great son of the Azerbaijani people, Heydar Aliyev, titled "Heydar Aliyev and the Arab-Islamic East," which was attended by dozens of scholars and researchers from Iraq, Azerbaijan, and other Arab countries.
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