Prague, Feb 8 (CTK) – The Czech Republic will provide aid to Iraq until the country needs it, Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka said after a meeting with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari yesterday, the Government Office has announced.
Prague also wants to participate in the reconstruction of Iraq after the Islamic State (IS) terrorist organisation is defeated, Sobotka (Social Democrats CSSD) said.
The Czech Republic has already supported Iraq in its fight against IS.
A Czech field surgical team works in the country and an aviation advisory team helps train Iraqi pilots.
The Czech Republic has also supplied ammunition and the L-159 combat aircraft to Iraq.
Last year, Prague sent a financial aid worth 38 million crowns to Baghdad.
Jaafari has been the first Iraqi foreign affairs minister to visit the Czech Republic since 2007.
He met Senate chairman Milan Stech (CSSD) and will have talks with his Czech counterpart Lubomir Zaoralek (CSSD) later yesterday.
Last week, Iraqi parliament deputy chairman Humam Hamoudi arrived in the Czech Republic.
He appreciated the aid of Czech doctors in Iraq as well as the Czech government’s support for the reconstruction of the country.
At the same time, he called on Czech firms to invest in Iraq more intensively. The prepared agreement on investments protection should help in this respect.
($1=25.306 crowns)
