Canada–Iraq relations

Last updated
Canadian-Iraqi relations
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg
Canada 		Flag of Iraq.svg
Iraq

The Canadian-Iraqi relations are the bilateral relations between Canada and Iraq. Both countries established embassies in their respective capitals in the 1960s. Canada has an embassy in Baghdad and a Consulate-General in Erbil. Iraq has an embassy in Ottawa and two Consulate-Generals in Montreal and Mississauga. Though both had been part of the British Empire, only Canada is part of the Commonwealth, Iraq is not.

Contents

History

Diplomatic relations between Canada and Iraq were established in 1961.

Iraqi diplomatic mission in Ottawa

Embassy of Iraq in Ottawa
Iraq, Ottawa.jpg
The old chancery at 215 McLeod Street. The embassy has since moved to Laurier Avenue.
Location Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Address189 Laurier Ave. East
Coordinates 45°24′49″N75°41′19″W / 45.41361°N 75.68861°W / 45.41361; -75.68861
Ambassador Dr. Abdlu-Rahman Al-Hussaini

The Embassy of Iraq, Ottawa is the embassy of Iraq in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 189 Laurier Ave. East having moved there since 2014 with the former McLeod Street location now an honorary consulate. In the 1980s, the diplomatic embassy in Ottawa was situated at 215 McLeod Street, in a building constructed in 1957 [1] and was best known for its gala party held each year at the Château Laurier to celebrate Iraq National Day. In the late 1980s, plans were underway to build an elaborate new chancery costing $5 million in Lower Town, next door to the Chinese embassy.

The 1991 Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the culmination of the ensuing Gulf War was irreversibly devastating on the embassy conduction of service. Four of Iraq's diplomats were expelled from Canada. Hisham Ibrahim al-Shawi, a respected intellectual and career diplomat remained as ambassador but had his activities severely curtailed. The plans for the new chancery were scrapped. In April 1991, in response to events in Iraq, a Kurdish mob attacked the embassy with stones and Molotov cocktails, but little damage and no injuries resulted. In 1994, months before he was set to retire and return to Iraq, al-Shawi flew to London with US$155,950.85 and CA$273,530 of the embassy's money, which he publicly declared and deposited in a trust fund to be used by a future government of Iraq. [2] In London, he defected and became involved in the Iraqi opposition.

Iraqi former President Saddam Hussein never replaced al-Shawi as an ambassador and for a number of years, the embassy was run by more junior officers. In the late 1990s the embassy was perennially short of cash and got in trouble for paying employees in alcohol and cigarettes. The Canadian government did not bow to U.S. pressure to close the embassy during the 2003 invasion of Iraq, but Canada did expel a number of diplomats on suspicion of espionage. The lone Iraqi diplomat who remained, chargé d'affaires Mamdouh Mustafa, shuttered himself inside the embassy, attending few functions and refusing to talk to the media. In December 2003 Mustafa returned to Iraq, leaving the embassy vacant. In May 2004 the embassy reopened with a staff dispatched by the new Iraqi government, and a new then-ambassador Howar Ziad arrived at the end of the year.

Canadian diplomatic mission in Baghdad

Embassy of Canada in Baghdad
Location Baghdad, Iraq
AddressBritish Embassy Compound, International Zone, Baghdad
Coordinates 33°18′43″N44°23′44″E / 33.31194°N 44.39556°E / 33.31194; 44.39556
Ambassador Christopher Boehm [3]

After having closed its diplomatic mission in Baghdad in 1991 due to the Gulf war, relations were re-established in 2019, with a new diplomatic mission reopened within the British embassy in the International Zone. [4] Christopher Boehm serves as the envoy Canadian ambassador having been appointed by Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs on September 5, 2024. [5] On October 15, 2024, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein received Boehm's credentials. [6]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diplomatic mission</span> Representatives of one state in another

A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes an embassy or high commission, which is the main office of a country's diplomatic representatives to another country; it is usually, but not necessarily, based in the receiving state's capital city. Consulates, on the other hand, are smaller diplomatic missions that are normally located in major cities of the receiving state. As well as being a diplomatic mission to the country in which it is situated, an embassy may also be a nonresident permanent mission to one or more other countries.

Diplomatic rank is a system of professional and social rank used in the world of diplomacy and international relations. A diplomat's rank determines many ceremonial details, such as the order of precedence at official processions, table seatings at state dinners, the person to whom diplomatic credentials should be presented, and the title by which the diplomat should be addressed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embassy of Iraq, Ottawa</span> Diplomatic mission of Iraq to Canada

The Embassy of Iraq, Ottawa is the embassy of Iraq in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 189 Laurier Ave. East having moved there since 2014 with the former McLeod Street location now an honorary consulate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herro Mustafa</span> Kurdish-American diplomat (born 1973)

Herro Kader Mustafa Garg is a Kurdish-American diplomat who has served as the United States ambassador to Egypt since November 2023. She served as the United States ambassador to Bulgaria from October 2019 to March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embassy of Canada, Bucharest</span> Diplomatic mission of Canada to Romania

The Embassy of Canada to Romania in Bucharest is the diplomatic mission of Canada to Romania. The embassy provides consular services to Canadian citizens residing or travelling in Romania, Bulgaria, and Moldova.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embassy of the Philippines, Ottawa</span> Diplomatic mission of the Philippines in Canada

The Embassy of the Philippines in Ottawa is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of the Philippines to Canada. Opened in 1971, it is currently located at 30 Murray Street in the ByWard Market neighborhood of central Ottawa, roughly between the U.S. and Danish embassies.

The Embassy of the Philippines in Jakarta is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Indonesia. It is currently located at 8 Imam Bonjol Street in the Menteng district of Central Jakarta, near significant city landmarks like the Formulation of Proclamation Text Museum and Taman Suropati.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embassy of the Philippines, Canberra</span> Diplomatic mission of the Philippines in Australia

The Embassy of the Philippines in Canberra is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the Commonwealth of Australia. It is currently located at 1 Moonah Place in the Yarralumla suburb of south Canberra, just beyond the periphery of Parliament House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embassy of the Philippines, The Hague</span> Diplomatic mission of the Philippines in the Netherlands

The Embassy of the Philippines in The Hague is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. First opened in 1959, it is located in the Archipelbuurt neighborhood of The Hague's city center, where it has been since 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Embassy of the Philippines, Baghdad</span> Diplomatic mission of the Philippines in Iraq

The Embassy of the Philippines in Baghdad is the diplomatic mission of the Republic of the Philippines to the Republic of Iraq. Opened in 1980, it is located in the Al-Jadriya neighborhood of the Karrada district in eastern Baghdad, near the main campus of the University of Baghdad.

References

  1. ↑ "comité de l'urbanisme". January 22, 2024. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  2. ↑ Alexander, David (August 24, 1993). "Iraqi diplomats defect". UPI. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Announcement of new diplomatic appointments". Federal Government of Canada . Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  4. ↑ Khan, Adnan (November 15, 2019). "As protests deepen in Iraq, Canada is caught in the middle". Maclean's . Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  5. ↑ "Announcement of new diplomatic appointments" . Retrieved November 25, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Receives Copy of Credentials of Canada's Ambassador to Iraq" . Retrieved November 25, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.