German Minister of State Tobias Lindner visiting Iraq, Kurdistan Region

The German Federal Foreign office said he will also talk to civil-society organizations.

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2023/01/25 11:00

German Minister of State Tobias Lindner for Foreign Affairs. (Photo: Thomas Imo/photothek)

Iraq Germany Iraq Kurdistan Region Erbil Baghdad Tobias Lindner

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The German Minister of State Tobias Lindner will be visiting Iraq and the Kurdistan Region from January 24 to 26, the German Federal Foreign office said in a statement on Tuesday.

“He will hold political talks with the central Iraqi Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government, as well as with representatives of the UN organizations based there,” the German Federal Foreign office said in a statement.

The German Federal Foreign office said he will also talk to civil-society organizations about the latest developments in the country and visit a camp for internally displaced persons in the Region of Kurdistan-Iraq that operates with German support.

“My talks with the government in Baghdad and the Kurdish Regional Government in Erbil will also cover the security situation and the regional political situation,” he said in a public statement.

During the visit, “I will meet representatives from the military mission of Operation Inherent Resolve and the NATO Mission in Iraq. In addition, I will learn about the current situation of the Yazidi community in northern Iraq.”

Germany has the largest Yezidi diaspora abroad and the German parliament recently recognized the Yezidi genocide.

Since 2014, the German Government has invested nearly 3.4 billion euros in Iraq and the Kurdistan Region with humanitarian assistance and other projects. It also opened a military hospital in Erbil and Sulaimani.

Moreover, as part of the international coalition to defeat ISIS, Germany has assisted both Erbil and Baghdad with military training and weapons.

Around 500 German forces train and advise Iraqi and Kurdish forces in Iraq.

The German Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock is also expected to visit Iraq in March.

Earlier this month, Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein accompanied Prime Minister Mohammad Shia’ Al-Sudani on an official visit to Germany, where they discussed bilateral relations, energy, and security issues.