Meeting with the mayor of Sofia city 

The Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq H.E. Mrs. Lina Omar met with the mayor of Sofia municipality, Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova, in the municipality premises. Issues related to strengthening cooperation and establishing active contact with the Bulgarian government in all areas of common interest were discussed at the meeting. The Ambassador expressed the willingness of the Iraqi government to open the doors for cooperation and development of bilateral relations with the Republic of Bulgaria at all levels, educational, cultural and economic, noting that Iraqi-Bulgarian relations were established more than 64 years ago. 

H.E. Mrs. Lina Omar congratulated Mrs. Fandakova on her successful new term in office and her long experience, positively assessing her professional achievements and experience in the field of education, as well as in other fields, such as the economic and investment sectors, contributing to the infrastructural development of the capital Sofia. The importance of strengthening the relations between the countries of the Middle East and in particular Iraq with the Republic of Bulgaria was emphasized, and especially in the current complicatedinternational situation caused by the political conflict between Russia and Ukraine. 

The Ambassador noted that the development of the Iraqi economy is among the goals and priorities of the Iraqi government and made a proposal to carry out joint visits aimed at getting to know the investment and infrastructure projects.The issue of signing memorandums of understanding between the Sofia region and the regions of Iraq, in various areas of mutual interest, was also subject of discussion, as well as the easing of the entry regime for Iraqi citizens for the purpose of tourism and treatment, given the popularity of the cities Varna and Burgas for foreign tourists, as well as other tourist sites offering medical and restorative procedures such as physiotherapy and convalescence by highly specialized medical specialists, which, in turn, would help to deepen the cooperation between the two countries.

In turn, the mayor of the capital, Mrs. Fandakova, expressed her satisfaction with this visit and expressed hope that thanks to the ideas and efforts put forward, it could contribute to the deepening of bilateral relations.  

The Ambassador also proposed the implementation of an initiative to acquaint the Ambassadors of the Arab countries in Bulgaria with the opportunities offered by Sofia Municipality, regarding current projects and industrial sites managed by Bulgarian companies in the capital, as well as the investment opportunities in various sectors, offered by the municipality. The proposal was welcomed by Mrs. Fandakova and she expressed her satisfaction with the implementation of this fruitful visit because of the ideas and perspectives it brings to both countries.The willingness to develop the level of cooperation between the Sofia region and all Iraqi regions was indicated, through the implementation of joint visits, taking steps to sign memorandums of understanding between the two countries and providing the necessary prerequisites for granting tourist and medical visas.