The American University of Iraq-Baghdad (AUIB) hosted HE Lukman Abdul Rahim Al-Faily, Iraqi Ambassador to Germany, and HE Martin Jaeger, German Ambassador to Iraq, as key speakers in a seminar on “Iraqi-German Relationships: Opportunities and Challenges”.
Dr. Michael Mulnix, AUIB President, welcomed the speakers and the distinguished guests, among whom were Presidents of universities, Ministers and other Iraqi officials, Generals of the Iraqi armed forces, and other dignitaries, in addition to AUIB members of faculty and students. President Mulnix seized the opportunity to announce that, in the context of strengthening Iraqi-German ties, three of the German world-renowned “Stiftungs” or Funds, among them the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, will open offices on AUIB campus, to be followed also by the Goethe Institute.
On the local level, the German diplomat called for “far-reaching reforms” on various levels, that would make life in Iraq “sustainable,” and that would enable the country to face the challenges of “water scarcity and climate change,” citing in this regard “Iraq’s immense potential” and “very sound financial basis,” specifically naming an “$85 million” of available government funds that may be used for projects that would tackle such challenges, rebuild or enhance Iraq’s infrastructure, and provide Iraqi youth with much needed quality education.
For his part, Ambassador Al-Faily saw that “Germans could be strategic partners” of Iraq, and that policy on various levels, and even the “strategic objectives” of both countries, may be aligned. However, the Iraqi diplomat saw that there is a need to make clear the areas on which the two countries agree, and also the ones on which they disagree, citing Iraq’s sensitivity to the issue of “sanctions”, as a prime example. “Bureaucracy in both countries” is a challenge, said Ambassador Al-Faily, citing the latter as a hindrance in the formulation of a clear German “strategic direction” in dealing with Iraq, especially on the level of economic cooperation policy.