Iraqi Parliament requests Foreign Ministry to audit diplomatic missions for potential closures

Shafaq News/ The Iraqi Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee revealed, on Thursday, that it has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to conduct an inventory of its diplomatic missions and embassies worldwide, aiming to close those with minimal Iraqi community presence.

Haidar Al-Salami, a committee member, stated to Shafaq News Agency that the committee has sent an official letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requesting information on the number of diplomatic missions, the staff within each mission, and the size of the Iraqi community in the respective countries, adding, "We are awaiting a response."

He explained that the purpose of this information request is to take appropriate action if a diplomatic mission exists in a country with no Iraqi community, deeming it unnecessary.

Al-Salami noted that Iraq currently has around 85 embassies and diplomatic missions worldwide.

Recently, there has been criticism within Iraqi political and public circles regarding the presence of Iraqi diplomatic missions and embassies in countries with very few or no Iraqi residents. This has been viewed as another avenue for corruption within the state's institutions.

Observers of Iraqi affairs argue that the increase in the number of Iraqi diplomatic missions and embassies in countries that have little to no relations with Iraq is part of political settlements among the blocs and parties involved in forming the federal government, based on the power-sharing agreement among the country's components.