1. A presidential delegation, led by special presidential adviser on Iraq Han Byung-do, visited Baghdad, the Republic of Iraq, from January 28 to 30, and paid courtesy calls on Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and President Barham Salih of Iraq.

※ The delegation consisted of officials from government agencies (the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and the Defense Acquisition Program Administration) as well as Korean companies.

2. In his courtesy calls on the Iraqi Prime Minister and President, special envoy Han Byung-do delivered President Moon Jae-in’s message that he hopes to strengthen friendly relations between the ROK and Iraq, marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. The two sides agreed to further increase substantive cooperation between the two countries in infrastructure and plant construction, the defense industry, and the energy sector.

o In particular, special envoy Han asked for the Iraqi side’s keen interest and support to help Korean companies safely and actively participate in a range of reconstruction projects in Iraq. He also asked for Iraq’s support for the ROK government’s efforts to completely denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and to establish a lasting peace on the Peninsula.

3. The Iraqi Prime Minister and President said that they placed importance on cooperation with the ROK, which had been a good friend for a long time, and hoped to diversify cooperation with the ROK to cover not only economic sectors, including infrastructure construction and energy, but also education, healthcare and culture.

o Prime Minister Mahdi especially took note that Korean companies had contributed significantly to Iraq’s economic growth, and said that he would actively work to help more Korean companies do business in Iraq.

4. In addition, special envoy Han Byung-do met with key officials of the new Iraqi government, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Oil, the Minister of Construction and Housing, and the Minister of Higher Education, and exchanged in-depth views on ways to step up substantive economic cooperation, as well as ways to expand bilateral cooperation to the education and healthcare sectors.

※ △Minister of Foreign Affairs Al Hakim, △Minister of Oil Al Ghadban, △Minister of Construction and Housing Rikani, △Minister of Higher Education Al Suhail, etc.

5. On January 29, special envoy Han hosted a meeting with about 50 representatives from Korean companies in Iraq to learn about difficulties facing Korean companies there, and to discuss how to help more Korean companies build presence in Iraq and support their activities.

o Furthermore, special envoy Han visited the Bismayah New City construction project site on January 30. He had a luncheon with 400 executives and employees of Hanwha Engineering and Construction, and offered them words of encouragement.

6. During his visit to Iraq, special envoy Han also met with Iraqi children he met six years ago when they were treated in the ROK for heart disease. He offered to continue humanitarian development cooperation projects, such as the project for treating children with heart disease in the ROK, and thereby further strengthen friendly relations between the two countries.

* unofficial translation