Iraq

Political relations

France is supporting Iraq in affirming its sovereignty, in its territory and in the region. France has also supported the Iraqi Government in its participation in the ongoing rapprochements in the region. In terms of military cooperation, France is Iraq’s second-largest partner in terms of personnel in the Global Coalition against Daesh and takes part in NATO Mission Iraq (NMI).

The relationship between France and Iraq is particularly strong, as shown by the number of high-level visits. A year after his last visit to Baghdad (2 September 2020) where he reaffirmed France’s support to Iraq and its sovereignty in the fight against Daesh and addressing external interference, President Macron visited Iraq on 28 and 29 August 2021 for the Baghdad Conference. He also travelled to Erbil and Mosul, where he emphasized France’s full support to rebuilding the country. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi visited Paris on 19 October 2020. In Mosul (29 August 2021), President Macron announced the opening of a Consulate-General of France in that city, and the new Consul General in Mosul took office in summer 2022.

France is committed to addressing the major stabilization needs of areas freed from Daesh control in Iraq: in 2022, Iraq ranked third among countries where stabilization activities are carried out by the Crisis and Support Centre (CDCS) of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with a budget of €11.5 million. That budget helped refurbish the operating theatre of the health centre in Sinjar, a region freed from Daesh control in 2017, before the construction of a new French-funded hospital in accordance with the commitments the French President made to Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, of Yazidi origin. France has also strengthened its support to mine clearance and clean-up projects in the region of Sinjar, Kirkuk and the Nineveh Governorate so that displaced civilian populations can return.

France is also active in Iraq through the work of its agencies. The Agence Française de Développement (AFD, French Development Agency) helps strengthen the resilience of host, refugee and displaced populations in Iraqi Kurdistan and the region of Al Anbar, contributing to post-conflict recovery through support to the farming and rural economy and the return of public services for local people, particularly in the water and health sectors. Expertise France implements projects in support of young people and entrepreneurship, especially in Baghdad, Mosul and Sulaymaniyah. Canal France International supports Iraqi journalists and contributes to strengthening the media and their independence.

Economic relations

Trade between France and Iraq reached €1.31 billion in 2019, the highest level since 2013. There was growth in both our exports (up 44%) and our imports, which doubled. France’s market share, however, remains low, accounting for less than 1% of Iraq’s foreign trade. French companies are present in a wide range of sectors: hydrocarbons (TotalEnergies), electricity (Schneider Electric, GE France), transport (Airbus, ADP, Alstom, CMA-CGM, Renault Trucks, Thales), environment (Degrémont, Veolia), construction (Lafarge is the largest French non-oil investor in Iraq), health (Sanofi), retail (Carrefour) and food (Danone).

France is keen to actively contribute to Iraq’s reconstruction. A credit line of €1 billion over four years was agreed in a November 2019 memorandum of understanding to foster Iraq’s reconstruction, through (i) sovereign loans and credit insurance for major contracts involving French companies, so as to increase our limited market share in Iraq (1%); and (ii) loans for Agence Française de Développement (AFD) projects.

High-level bilateral visits, including those of the French President to Baghdad in September 2020 and that of the Iraqi Prime Minister to Paris in October that year, have led to major progress in our economic partnership. A declaration of intent between the two ministries of agriculture, a memorandum of understanding concerning the supply of 100 substations by Schneider Electric, and a letter of intent on the Baghdad metro for Alstom were signed in Paris on 19 October 2020. A further letter of intent, in the defence sector, was signed by the two Defence Ministers in Paris on 5 November 2020.