Foreign Minister, H.E. Mr Fuad Hussein Meets with his Counterpart of the Holy See

On 3 May 2021, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Fuad Hussein, met with Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, the Holy See’s Secretary for Relations with States at the Vatican State Building.

The Minister expressed Iraq’s aspiration to activate the frameworks of cooperation with the Vatican in various fields, and in light of the distinguished relations between the two sides. He emphasized Iraq’s keenness to develop relations between Iraq and the Vatican to achieve the goals that serve humanity and its rights, and to spread the culture and values of peace. The Minister indicated that Iraq is a meeting point for religions that all agree on respecting human being, dignity and values of peace, stressing the determination of the Iraqi government on returning the displaced and the rehabilitation of victims of ISIS from women and children, calling for the reconstruction of churches in the city of Mosul, and the building of a hospital for women survivors of ISIS terrorism.

Regarding the historic visit of His Holiness Pope Francis, the Minister said that the visit of His Holiness the Pope to Iraq and the city of Ur, birth-place of Prophet Abraham – Peace be upon him, represented a great support for Iraq, and was special for Christians, and Iraq looks forward to investing in it religiously, politically and culturally. He called on investment companies in the Vatican State to work in Iraq to revive the cultural and historical heritage.