Morocco set to Reopen Embassy in Iraq

Morocco is readying to reopen its embassy in Iraq, after the diplomatic mission has been closed for thirteen years for security reasons.

The embassy, closed after two Moroccan nationals were kidnapped in 2005, will reopen in the coming weeks, affirmed local daily Akhbar Al Yaoum, in its Thursday issue.

The reopening of the Moroccan Embassy in Baghdad will take place during a planned visit to Iraq by Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, the daily stated, adding that the Moroccan move responds to the two countries’ desire to reinvigorate their secular relations.

Following the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, and despite the chaotic situation that ensued, Morocco maintained its embassy in Iraq open.
However, the deteriorating security conditions eventually led Rabat to move its diplomats to the Jordanian capital, Amman.

Morocco’s decision comes as Iraq is launching its reconstruction process.

At a fund-raising conference for the rebuilding of war-torn Iraq held in Kuwait this week, international donors pledged $30 billion.

The money, urgently needed to rebuild towns and cities demolished during battles against the Islamic State, is a mix of grants, loans and investment promises, with neighbors Kuwait, Turkey and Saudi Arabia among the biggest donors, along with nearby Qatar.