IRAK DIE WIEGE DER ZIVILISATION

LE MONDE IRAQ | INTERVIEW
Dr. Surood R. Najib
“There is an outstanding basis for talks between Austria and Iraq“
“If I had a wish, it
would be for peace of
mind for all the people
of my country.“
Ambassador of the
Republic of Iraq in
Vienna
Iraq’s Ambassador Dr. Surood R. Najib talks about the bilateral and economic
relations between Iraq and Austria, and his very personal wishes for the future of
his country.
Interview: Petra Stix
Ambassador Najib talking
about his wishes for the
future in the CD-Interview.
Your Excellency, you’re a great lover of the arts and culture.
Apart from the cultural and historical treasures Austria has
to offer, what else do you like about the country?
I feel entirely at ease here – it‘s almost like being at
home. The people are always nice and friendly. If you
ask a complete stranger the way, he won‘t just explain
how to get there, he‘ll accompany you all the way to
the front door. This has happened to me personally.
It was a lovely experience, and a fine example of Austrian
hospitality. But I don’t just love the historic
buildings of the City of Vienna – I also love the beautiful
countryside in the other federal states and the
history that can be felt and experienced everywhere.
How would you describe bilateral relations between Austria
and Iraq?
Relations between Austria and Iraq are strong on
every level. Only recently I travelled to Iraq together
with the Austrian Foreign Minister, Sebastian Kurz.
We were involved in important talks with Iraq’s President,
Fuad Masum, Iraq’s Foreign Minister Ibrahim
al-Jaafari, the Prime Minister of Kurdistan, Nechirvan
Idris Barzani, and the Kurdistan Minister for
Foreign Relations, Falah Mustafa Bakir. In Erbil, we
visited a refugee camp together. Kurz was able to see
the dramatic situation in my home country for
himself. At the same time he saw children of different
denominations and beliefs – Shiites, Sunnis,
Christians and Yazidis –
playing peacefully with one
another. On a political level,
there is an outstanding basis
for discussion between Austria
and Iraq. The former Foreign
Minister, Michael Spindelegger,
was also taking
part in bilateral discussions
in Iraq. The Iraqi Austrian
Joint Supreme Committee
has been meeting regularly
again since 2013. Its next meeting will take place in
Baghdad.
The Iraqi economy is dominated by the oil sector. What other
promising sectors would you recommend foreign investors to
look at?
We maintain good relations with the Austrian
Economic Chamber and Austrian business people.
Thanks, first and foremost, to the Austro-Arab
Chamber of Commerce; we are extremely well-networked
when it comes to economic matters and
commercial matters. Many Austrian firms are already
investing in Iraq – predominantly in the oil sector,
of course. The biggest of these is OMV. But there is
also huge potential for investors in the construction
industry and the supply industry. It is not just due to
the falling oil prices that makes it necessary for Iraq
to develop additional economic pillars which will
promise stability and security. In order to be successful
in the agricultural sector, for instance, irrigation
facilities need to be constructed, and intense negotiations
are already underway with Austrian companies
about making this happen.
What needs to be done to intensify relations between our
two countries even further?
Direct flights between Vienna and Baghdad, the
capital of Iraq, would be good. It would facilitate cooperation
a lot.
If you had three wishes for your country, what would you
wish for?
First of all, peace of mind for all the people of my
country. Apart from that, I also wish from the bottom
of my heart for the international community to
continue backing Iraq, and to continue supporting it
in the future. And my wish for this generation is to
protect the country’s cultural heritage for the next
generation, and to honour the people who gave their
lives to preserve that heritage.
PHOTOS: RALPH MANFREDA
PERSONAL DETAILS
Dr. Surood R. Najib Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq
in Vienna and Permanent Representative of Iraq to the
United Nations (Vienna).
34 Cercle Diplomatique 1/2015
Cercle Diplomatique 1/2015
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