Tarpparlamentiniai susitikimai

The sixth European Parliament-Iraq inter-parliamentary meeting was held in Brussels on 3 December 2015.

The meeting was co-chaired by by

• the Chair of the Delegation for relations with Iraq (D-IQ), MEP David Campbell Bannerman, and
• the Chair of the Iraqi Parliamentary Delegation, Mr Dhafer Salman.

The principal points of discussion on the agenda were

• Internal political reforms and the military challenge in the fight against ISIS/Daesh, with:
  - Mr Elmar Brok, AFET Chair and AFCO Member
  - Mr Yousif Mohammad Sadiq, Speaker of the Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Parliament
  - Mr John O'Rourke, Head of Division Arabian Peninsula, Iran and Iraq at the European External Action Service
  - Mr Struan Stevenson, former Chairman of the EP Delegation for Relations with Iraq.
  
  
• The situation of human rights, humanitarian issues and refugees, with
  - Mr William Spencer, International Institute for Law and Human Rights, Executive Director
  - Mr Jean-Louis de Brouwer, DG ECHO Director of Operations,European Commission
  - Mr Remy Brun, "Fraternité en Irak", Spokesman (eyewitness account).
  

The previous inter-parliamentary meeting dates back to September 2012. This meeting served to restore links and cooperation between the European Parliament and the Iraqi Council of Representatives.

The meeting itself took place on the morning of December 4, 2014.

A wide variety of topics were debated during the day:

• the fight against so called "Islamic State" terrorism
• the recent agreement between the Iraqi Central Government and the Kurdistan Regional Government,
• the inclusiveness of the new Iraqi Government,
• national dialogue and compromise,
• the regional context
• the EU-Iraq Partnership and Cooperation Agreement.

For each topic, experts were invited, from the European Commission, European External Action Service, US Mission in the EU and from NGOs working on the field.

The European Parliament - Iraq inter-parliamentary meeting (IPM) was held in Brussels on 25 September 2012. The meeting was co-chaired by

• Mr Sadiq Humadi AL-RIKABI, Foreign Relations Committee, Iraqi Parliament (Head of Delegation), and
• Struan STEVENSON, Chair of the Delegation for Relations with Iraq (D-IQ), European Parliament.

A wide variety of topics were debated, including:

• stability and the security situation in Iraq,
• the regional context,
• the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement,
• energy,
• industry and research cooperation,
• economic and trade links, and
• human rights.

For each topic, experts and/or Members of the European Parliament were invited.

Beyond exchange of information and debate, the visit greatly contributed towards confidence building, enhancing friendship and strengthening ties.

This was the first official visit of the European Parliament to Iraq, and the first inter-parliamentary meeting (IPM) between the full-fledged EP Delegation for Relations with Iraq and the Iraqi Council of Representatives. (Previous IPMs had been held with an ad hoc delegation.)

The Delegation travelled to Baghdad and to Erbil.

Members traveling:

• Mr Struan STEVENSON, Chair, (ECR, UK);

• Mr Mario MAURO, (EPP, IT);

• Mr John ATTARD-MONTALTO, (S&D, MT);

• Mr Jelko KACIN, (ALDE, SL);

Key items discussed:

• the situation of the region after the Arab spring;

• the respect of human rights, women's rights and the situation of ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq;

• the security situation and economic growth opportunities;

• the parliamentary democracy in the country;

• the issue of Camp Ashraf.