Meeting with the Director of „ Middle East and Africa” Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria


Meeting with the Director of the Middle East Directorate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria
The Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to Bulgaria H.E. Mrs. Lina Omar met with the Director of the Middle East and Africa Directorate, Ambassador Lyubomir Popov, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bulgaria.
After greetings exchanged between the interlocutors, Ambassador Lina Omar called for the support of the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria in the European Commission to lift the European ban imposed on Iraqi civil aviation for realizing flights, which has serious economic, political and diplomatic consequences for the Republic of Iraq, especially as the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority and other specialized technical bodies are striving to meet the technical requirements for safe aviation in accordance with European standards set by the European Commission’s air traffic control authority.  
Ambassador Lina Omar praised the position of the Republic of Bulgaria on removing Iraq from the European Union list of high-risk countries in the field of money laundering and terrorist financing, as well as the assessment of the Government and people of Iraq for this position.
Issues of mutual interest were discussed during the meeting, the most important of which was the issue of artifacts of alleged Iraqi origin and the need for their assessment and Iraqi affiliation by Iraqi experts who are expected to visit Bulgaria for this purpose. The opening of a consular department in Iraq for issuing visas to delegations and Iraqi citizens wishing to visit Bulgaria for tourism, the desire of Iraqi students to study in Bulgaria, were among other issues discussed among the interlocutors.
For his part, Ambassador Lyubomir Popov welcomed all the proposals and important issues that were raised during the meeting aimed at strengthening and developing bilateral relations in all areas and reaffirmed his readiness to assist in their implementation and realization