The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen is to meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, on the absence of Nigerian mission in Iraq.
The Speaker’s decision followed a concern raised by the Iraqi Ambassador to Nigeria, Amb. Anwer Saeed Aljabali during a courtesy call on the Speaker on Tuesday.
Abbas, who expressed surprise that Nigeria does not currently have a mission in Iraq where her citizens could run to for help, said he would take up the matter with Amb. Tuggar with a view to addressing the matter.
According to the Speaker, Iraq is an important country in the comity of nations, which was why Nigeria’s efforts must be made to make the Nigerian mission in that country operational.
“I want to assure you that we will take this matter up. I will meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs to find ways of resolving the issues so that the Nigerian Mission in Iraq will be open once again”, the Speaker said.
Abbas also informed the Iraqi Ambassador to Nigeria that the 10th House has established a Parliamentary Friendship Group that would relate with the Iraqi Parliament for better cooperation between the two countries.
“We are serious about parliamentary relations with parliaments around the world. That is why we created the Parliamentary Friendship Group with the Parliament of Iraq. The chairman of the committee will meet you in due course”.
Earlier, Ambassador Aljabali, who congratulated the Speaker on his emergence, stressed the need for a parliamentary friendship committee between the two countries.
The Iraqi Ambassador said the Nigerian Mission in Baghdad has been closed for many years even after the Iraqi war.
He said Nigerians living in that country have to go to countries like Oman to be attended to diplomatically.
While pleading with the Speaker to intervene on the matter, the Iraqi Ambassador noted that Baghdad currently houses over 140 missions.
