Ambassador of Iraq to the EU Delivers Iraq’s Speech at Ministerial Meeting of Brussels V Conference

On 30 March 2021, H.E. Ambassador Sadiq Al-Rikabi, head of the Iraqi mission to the European Union, delivered the speech of Iraq at the ministerial meeting of the Fifth Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region.

The speech stated Iraq’s appreciation for
the efforts made by the United Nations and the European Union to hold the conference, which coincides with the tenth anniversary of the start of the Syrian crisis, which has caused to death of thousands of victims and the displacement and migration of millions of Syrian people.
Mr. Al-Rikabi stressed Iraq’s unwavering stance regarding the importance of finding a permanent political solution in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2254, First Geneva Communique of 2012, and Astana talks, in addition to the importance of avoiding resorting to military options as they will further aggravate the suffer the Syrian people.
He also pointed out that Iraq, based on its bitter experience with economic sanctions during the 1990s, confirms its stance on the futility of imposing economic sanctions, especially since the first victims of them are the Syrian people.
In his speech, the ambassador also touched on the impact of the neighboring countries on Syria, especially Iraq, by the deteriorating security situation in it, and that Iraq, due to its geographical borders with Syria, was the most affected country by the terrorist groups that took over the Syrian territories, and called on the international community to cooperate in order to eliminate these organizations, namely ISIS, al-Nusra, and al-Qaeda, and fight against its extremist ideas, stressing the need to achieve justice through accountability and prosecution of all criminals.