Dear Iraqi citizens, dear visitor,

I am glad to welcome you to the website of the Delegation of the European Union to Iraq. I am honoured to serve as EU Ambassador in Iraq with its 7,000 years of history. Some say ‘Iraq’s history is the history of humanity’ and I fully agree. Humanity is for me not only the long history, it is also our values, which we share. The EU has established good relations with Iraq. It is my objective to deepen and to intensify them. In times where the international law is under attack, the respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity is a key element of the European Union’s foreign policy, also in Iraq.

We have agreed with the Government to work together for a stable, peaceful, secure and prosperous Iraq, to boost economic reforms and to create the necessary conditions for sustainable social development. The EU’s expertise in education, regional cooperation, rule of law and good governance is well-known. It is the result of our own history. We are ready to offer support to Iraq in these and other areas, in close cooperation and with agreement of the competent Iraqi authorities. We will also work together on climate change adaptation and mitigation. Water is the central topic in Iraq. People-to-people contacts play an important role in any form of cooperation.

Finally, I wish to include explicitly the EU Member States in our cooperation. We work together as ‘Team Europe’ in Iraq.

I wish to greet you all together with my Iraqi and European colleagues in the EU Delegation.

Thomas Seiler