That is why Baghdad, burdened with crises, has become a favorite destination for many Lebanese

One day in the spring of 2021, Akram Johari carried his luggage and his Lebanese passport. He boarded the plane from Beirut to Baghdad without a prior plan, in search of work, after his salary did not support a family of two children and elderly parents.

As a result of the ongoing crisis in Lebanon for nearly two years, which the World Bank has ranked among the worst in the world since 1850, Akram's salary, 42, is no longer equal to $100, with the value of the local currency (lira) declining by 90%.

He, like many Lebanese, chose to travel.

He quit his job, and Baghdad was the most obvious choice for him: a nearby city with a nascent economy, and receiving the Lebanese on a visa at the airport.

Johari got a job in Baghdad through Instagram (French)

Akram tells of the café he started running about a month ago on a commercial street in central Baghdad, "I didn't have enough time to look for work in the Gulf. I had to make a quick move. I came to Baghdad and started looking for a job on Instagram" until it happened. on the job.

The severe economic crisis that began more than two years ago is stifling the Lebanese, and 80% of them are below the poverty line.

And between June 2021 and February 2022, more than 20,000 Lebanese entered Iraq, according to the authorities, not counting the visitors who come to Najaf and Karbala.

The Lebanese ambassador to Iraq, Ali Habhab, explains that the movement of the Lebanese to this country has recently doubled and has increased steadily, especially in the health sector, as this applies especially to "dozens of Lebanese doctors who provide services and are considered visitors in Iraqi hospitals and medical centers."

new market

Iraqi economic expert Ali Al-Rawi believes that there is a large space and greater opportunities for Lebanese companies in the Iraqi economy” because “most foreign companies are afraid to invest” in the country because of “the picture taken of the security situation,” noting that Lebanese companies “are more in contact with the Iraqi economy and know the environment well.” investment and coexist with it.

The cultural and linguistic rapprochement between Lebanon and Iraq contributes to facilitating the stability of Lebanese companies.

Paradoxically, the political situation, sectarian structures and the spread of corruption in the two countries are also very similar.

For a long time, the deteriorating security situation deprived Iraq of investment and a destination for action, especially after the US invasion in 2003, sectarian conflicts, the takeover of the Islamic State and the violence that followed.

Today, life is gradually returning to the streets of Baghdad, as cafes open their doors until late at night, while beauty centers and medical clinics are scattered in all corners.

However, this new pulse is accompanied by a lack of expertise and deep living crises in a country that depends for 90% of its revenues on oil.

The Iraqis themselves also suffer from poverty, unemployment and deteriorating infrastructure, as the unemployment rate among young people is 40%, and a third of its population of more than 40 million people suffers from poverty, while a large number of them, like the Lebanese, seek to emigrate.

In addition, the health sector in particular faces many problems that push many Iraqis to go to neighboring countries such as Iran, Turkey and Lebanon, to receive treatment.

There are currently more than 410 Lebanese companies operating in different fields in Iraq (Reuters)

Perfect destination

A large number of the Beirut Eye Center's clients in Lebanon were Iraqis, explains its managing director, Michael Cherfan from Baghdad.

The crisis began to affect the work of the center in Lebanon, and it began to incur huge losses.

In 2020, he says, "Many doctors left Lebanon and we lost doctors."

At that point, Iraq represented the ideal destination: the market is not saturated, the demographic composition is adequate, and the services provided by the center are not present in Iraq, explains Charfan.

The presence of the center, which opened a year ago, saved Iraqi patients from traveling to Beirut, but it also constituted a "breathing space" for many Lebanese doctors and in compensation for the losses incurred by the center due to the crisis in Lebanon.

"Our doctors come here on a rotating basis. Every week, one or two doctors come to perform visits and operations, to earn some money and then return to Lebanon, which compensates for some losses," said Sharfan.

At the same time, the center provides services to Iraqi patients that are not available in Iraq.

"There are a number of surgeries that are not available in Iraq, which are currently provided by this center," said Iraqi Mohammed Hamza Ahmed, a visiting doctor at the center.

There are currently in Iraq more than 410 Lebanese companies working in various fields such as education, construction and tourism sectors such as restaurants and hotels.

As for the Kurdistan region, there are more than 500 companies, according to the Lebanese ambassador, especially in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah.

Although he is able to secure a good living for his family as a result of his work in Baghdad, this brings a taste of bitterness to Akram, and it hurts him so much that he cannot see his two daughters growing up in front of him.

"I am very sad because I cannot see my two-month-old daughter," he says.

But the proximity between the two countries eases this hardship somewhat.

"Every month I can travel and see my family," he says.