LUMUT, Aug 19 — The Foreign Ministry is finalising details to reopen the Malaysian Embassy in Iraq, its minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir said today.
The process includes discussions with the Iraqi Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister soon involving several aspects, including logistics.
“I met with the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister in Azerbaijan in early June, and he asked Malaysia to swiftly reopen its embassy (in Iraq).
“I have informed the Cabinet about the matter, and it has been agreed and approved two months ago, so hopefully the final process will witness the reopening of our embassy there.
“We hope our relations will have a positive impact. As we all know, Petronas has several important concerns in Iraq. I am confident we can explore opportunities in other fields there,” he said at a media conference after attending a community programme in Pulau Pangkor today.
Zambry added the embassy would play an important role not only in strengthening diplomatic relations between both countries but also provide added value in economic terms, especially in investments.
The government will consider reopening embassies in several countries, including on the African continent that previously faced armed conflict similar to Iraq. However, the matter needs to be finetuned and consider various factors, like security and national interests.
“We need to consider all these factors before reopening as we want to avoid unexpected or untoward incidents that will negatively impact the country,” he said.
On March 26, Zambry said the government, through his ministry, was studying suggestions to reopen embassies in several countries, and a team would be set up to see to all the aspects needed for such an effort.
— Bernama
