Meeting of foreign Ministers in Baghdad : Iraq calls on refugees from Germany to return

A year after the military victory over the terrorist organization Islamic state (IS) is calling on the Iraqi government to Germany who had fled the country people to return. "We hope that these citizens will voluntarily return to Iraq," said Iraqi foreign Minister Mohammed Ali al-Hakim, on Monday after a Meeting with his German colleague Heiko Maas in Baghdad. The security situation in Iraq, he described as "excellent" and "stable". "Iraq is a safe country and we call on our citizens to volunteer to return to our country."

Maas said the Iraq for more help in the reconstruction and the improvement of the living conditions - also to prevent a resurgence of the IS. "We stand ready to take over in the future with international partners reliably more responsibility and to support Iraq on its way," he said. "The reign of terror of IS was broken. Now a must be prevented in the subsoil under all the circumstances of terror, avert dangers in Iraq, in the Region, but also Europe.“

In the Wake of the civil war in their homeland, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis live in Germany, fled. At the end of September were registered, according to information from the Federal government 245 000. The IS had brought in 2014, large parts of the country under his control. The counter-offensive last year led to the liberation of the Northern Iraqi metropolis of Mosul. 10. December 2017, the then Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that although the military victory over the IS. Especially in the North of the country around Mosul around IS cells are still active. There it comes again and again to attacks of the terrorist militia.

Al-Hakim assessed the security situation is still positive. Only on the Syrian side that there was "a lot of things, still provide cause for concern," he said at the joint press conference with Maas according to the Translator.

Four million internal refugees were able to return in the formerly from IS-occupied areas. For 1.8 million, the security situation in their home areas, but still to dangerous. In Baghdad has improved the security situation significantly. Maas went for a number of years in the case of such a Visit with a "Transall"is a military Transporter in the Iraqi capital. In the machine the shot was distributed-proof vests, and the convoy consisted as always from armored vehicles.

economic interests of Germany

The times, in which the capital, Baghdad regularly of terrorist attacks was shattered, gone. This month, the new Prime Minister Adil Abdel Mahdi ordered to open the concrete walls protected by high-security zone in the centre of the city for a few hours of the day. Since 2003, the field, in the ministries and the U.S. Embassy are located, was, for ordinary Iraqis is virtually inaccessible. The walls have been drawn over many years, slowly but.

Germany had supported the fight against the IS in Iraq, especially with the training of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters and weapons deliveries. Until today, German "Tornado"-Aufklärungsjets, as well as a refueling aircraft for the international Anti-IS coalition in Jordan, stationed. At Camp Taji near Baghdad, the German armed forces of Iraq of soldiers. The "Tornado"-application runs but in the next year, the future of the training use is uncertain. The Federal government is now more on civilian assistance.

Germany is after the USA the country that supported Iraq in the past four years with aid for development, stabilisation and reconstruction. More than 1.5 billion euros have been provided for this. The Federal government hopes that a stable Iraq can calm the middle East Region as a whole. "We are convinced that a sovereign, stable, unified, democratic Iraq in the Region and should," said Maas.

Syria The return of the Islamic state

but There are also tangible economic interests of Germany in the country, during the visit, Maas' theme. As a result, Siemens is struggling currently, with the US rival General Electric (GE) of the multi-billion dollar Expansion of Iraq's current capacities. Although Iraq is one of the ölreichsten countries in the world, the suffering of the population under the bad supply with electricity and with water. In the last few months, therefore, especially in the South of Iraq to protests in which demonstrators and security forces clashed together. (dpa)