Mr Anwer Saeed is the Head of the Iraqi Mission to Nigeria. In this interview with Daily Trust Saturday, he disclosed how Iraqis and Nigerians started conducting trade together long before Nigeria’s independence in 1960. He also spoke on other sundry issues. Excerpts:
What is the Iraqi foreign policy?
I would like to refer to the Iraqi constitution 2005. Article 8 says Iraq shall observe the principles of good neighbourliness, adhere to the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of other states, seek to settle disputes by peaceful means, establish relations on the basis of mutual interests and reciprocity, and respect its international obligations.
So, in general, Iraqi’s foreign policy doesn’t believe that force is the only means to settle disputes. We always try negotiations and peaceful means.
How is the bilateral relationship between Iraq and Nigeria at this moment?
The two countries share a historical relationship that was rooted before Nigeria became an independent state in 1960, especially when it comes to trade. Iraqi Muslim culture was passed on through trading merchants to Nigeria and other African countries.
Also, according to history, the origin of the Hausa tribe is extended from Iraq, with the story of Bayajidda (the father of Hausa) who came from Baghdad to Nigeria and settled in one village in the North. One day, a huge snake appeared in the village and the king announced that whoever kills the snake will marry his daughter. Bayajidda was able to kill the snake and married the king’s daughter. They had seven children who the story says were the first of the Hausa tribe.
What is the relationship like at this moment in terms of trade, exchanges of culture and so on?
Indeed, trade relations between the two countries have been very limited. Iraq and Nigeria are both big countries with rich resources such as petrol, agriculture, livestock and many others, therefore, there are many products and commodities Iraq and Nigeria can exchange, and for that, I encourage Nigerian businessmen, and investors, to get in touch with their counterparts in Iraq in order to grasp the business opportunities that they can cooperate on.
How do you plan to reignite this relationship going forward?
The Republic of Iraq was one of the first states to recognize and support Nigeria in 1961 and opened our embassy in Lagos. In 2007, the Iraqi government decided to re-open its embassy in Abuja, while due to the insecurity situation in Iraq, the Nigerian government decided to cover Baghdad from its embassy in Amman, Jordan, which was well understood, but now the security situation in Iraq is well settled and we have 138 Embassies, general Consulates and international organizations operating in Baghdad and in other Iraqi provinces. The last embassy was opened by Morocco two weeks ago.
So, one of the first and main steps we are working on, which will consolidate the bilateral relations between the two countries, is for the Nigerian government to re-open its Embassy in Baghdad according to the principle of reciprocity.
Moreover, many Nigerians visit Iraq; we don’t have an accurate number because many go for visiting the holy places, some for studies and some for work. Unfortunately, many of them are facing challenges in Iraq because they don’t have an embassy. It’s not easy for them to contact or go to the Nigerian Embassy in Jordan. Therefore, having a Nigerian Embassy in Baghdad will ease and facilitate things for the Nigerians in Iraq as well as support and enhance the level of trade exchange, and also increase business cooperation opportunities.
Apart from the opening of an embassy in Baghdad, in what other ways can the two countries improve their relationship?
As I mentioned earlier, Iraq and Nigeria are two rich countries that can cooperate in so many aspects. One can be the energy sector, such as biomass energy, natural gas and so on, and then climate change. These sectors are empowering and affecting the entire world. We also need cooperation with international organisations because we are both members of the OIC and OPEC. So, we have a lot in common that we can take the best advantage of to widen our relationship.
Moreover, there are broad opportunities for Nigerian investors, just as there are lots of opportunities for Iraqi investors here too. I would like to call on the president of the Chambers of Commerce, Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) to create a businessmen’s Forum, or send an invitation to their counterparts in Iraq to come here (Abuja) or go to Baghdad to have meetings, to discuss and explore business opportunities.
Another way of collaboration can be in the aviation sector. I would also like to call on the Minister of Transportation in Nigeria to contact Iraqi Airways to open the line between Abuja to Baghdad. Our Iraqi Airways connects to many countries all the way through Europe, Asia and Africa, it will be easy for Nigerians and Iraqis to connect flights from Nigeria, and Iraq to other places in Europe and Asia.
You have so many similarities with Nigeria; one of them is ethnic and religious diversity. How are you harnessing this to foster development in Iraq?
Iraq is the first civilization in history, and the birth cradle of heavenly religions, as many prophets came from Iraq and most were buried there. From this background, in Iraq, there is diversity when it comes to religion, ethnicity and so on, and we have learned to live together in unity, harmony and respect for each other’s differences.
In fact, after the war in 2003, we faced challenges due to some foreign interventions, but the Iraqi people are still standing as one. This is due to the freedom of the democratic system, as every sector and every ethnicity can elect their representatives in the parliament or in any other position.
Majority of Iraqis are Muslims. How are minority groups being treated?
The Iraqi constitution of 2005 protects the right of everyone. The constitution clearly states that all Iraqis are equal even if they are from an ethnic minority or the majority, it doesn’t matter. It protects everyone’s culture, customs, traditions and religions. The Iraqi institutions always consider the citizenship and principles of equality, whether the citizen is Muslim or not.
Talking about inclusiveness, the Arab world seems to have some limitations for women. How is Iraq treating its women?
Iraqi women have enjoyed relatively more rights than many of their counterparts in the world. The Iraqi 2005 Constitution guarantees equal rights to women and ensures that 25 percent of the government must be made up of women.
It is one thing to have these rights in the constitution and another thing to implement these rights. What is the level of implementation of these rights in Iraq?
All these are well implemented even in the parliament. Google the number of women in the Iraqi Parliament and you will see.
Iraq has settled for a parliamentary system of government. How would you rate the development of democracy in Iraq?
Democracy in Iraq is new because we have not had a democratic system for a long time, so we need time to fully understand it, and I can say the system has made it easy for us as it guarantees all Iraqis freedom from coercion based on religion or politics, as well as freedom of opinion, and we have achieved a very important milestone when it comes to that. In our elections now, you can see a very high percentage of participation of all citizens which is proof of a healthy political life.
Your economy is highly dependent on oil just like Nigeria. What is the Iraqi government doing to diversify?
Oil is the most important source of the Iraqi economy. Per day, Iraq produces 4.4 million bpd. Iraq has gone through many wars from 1980-1988, then again in 1991 and another war in 2003. All these wars destroyed many factories, institutions and other economic sectors, and that is why oil continues as the basic source of revenue in Iraq. But the government has been working to diversify the economic sector because Iraq has rich soil that enriches the agriculture sector and livestock and is also open for other investments.
One of the important sectors that the government is working on is tourism. For years, it was not prioritized due to the wars, but right now, the government is trying to restructure and create facilities to receive tourists from different countries because Iraq has been the cradle of civilization since 4800 BC. It’s a great tourist destination for visitors from all parts of the world, for religious and non-religious people. Some of the destinations are the city of Babylon, some historical churches and mosques, as well as, many others.
One of the first steps the government is taking is to improve the aviation sector because we believe it’s our link to the world. Recently, we celebrated 77 years of the establishment of Iraqi Airways.
What is the take of your country on the forthcoming general election in Nigeria?
We at the Embassy of the Republic of Iraq hope that the elections go smoothly, and on behalf of the Iraqi government, we wish all Nigerians and the political parties a successful and peaceful election. We will continue to work on developing the relationship between our two friendly countries.
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