My official visit to Germany this Friday is a testament to the strength of political and economic ties between Baghdad and Berlin, dating back to the late 19th century.

Perhaps the first sign of a long partnership was Kaiser Wilhelm II's (or "Hajji Wilhelm" as Muslims liked to call him) enthusiasm for the Baghdad Railway - a development project that was brought to fruition with the help of German companies .

Germany, which is not known in the Arab world as a colonizer, has always endeavored to promote and develop cultural, economic and political cooperation with the countries of the region - especially with Iraq.

As a European powerhouse, it has followed a diplomatic line based on economic and political cooperation and mutual respect.

German policy has succeeded in gaining a reputation among the Iraqi people that is comparable to the good reputation of German products and services.

The good reputation of Germany in Iraq

This is not the only reason why the desire to further strengthen German-Iraqi relations is obvious.

Our government program focuses on strengthening good governance and taking swift and decisive action in the fight against corruption.

German expertise is of great use to us to support our Integrity Commission and to develop anti-corruption procedures, strategies and policies.

We strive to strengthen trade with Germany and bring it to a level that does justice to the bilateral relations between the two countries.

Building a strong economy gives Iraqi youth the chance to invest in the future in their homeland instead of seeking salvation in migration.

It is also a way of creating conditions that encourage people to return, and that is very important to us.

No government can force emigrants to return.

Cooperation even on sensitive issues such as deportations

We will propose to the German government a joint committee that should prepare the ground for the voluntary return of Iraqis who are obliged to leave the country.

And of course we will also work closely with Germany on sensitive issues such as deportations and carefully examine each case in accordance with the legal situation and the agreements of both countries.

Germany has already actively helped build a better Iraqi future.

Since 2014, Berlin has contributed around $3.4 billion to Iraq's development and reconstruction efforts.

It has played a key role in helping some five million Iraqis return to their home regions after they were freed from the grip of the terrorist organization "Islamic State" (IS).

Invest in Iraq's security and stability

In the past four years, the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) has supported more than 37,000 Iraqis in finding jobs or starting their own businesses, 30 percent of whom are women.

German interest in strengthening Iraqi capabilities and promoting good governance in the country is reflected in training assistance to more than 4,000 Iraqi engineers, judges, diplomats, journalists and civil servants.

Diverse fields of cooperation

Germany also makes an active contribution to the Iraq Reform, Recovery and Reconstruction Fund, which promotes economic and social reforms in areas such as reconstruction, agriculture, water, environment, energy, social protection, education, health and management of public funds.

Several hospitals were renovated and equipped with German money.

In the fight against the terrorist organization IS, Iraq and Germany exchanged important security and intelligence information.

Berlin trained soldiers from the Iraqi army and Peshmerga forces and provided them with the necessary weapons.

In Germany, an IS terrorist was sentenced for the first time in 2021 for the genocide of the Iraqi Yazidis, which is comforting for the members of this minority and ensured justice in court.

The areas of cooperation between Iraq and Germany are diverse: Energy is just as much a part of it as the fight against climate change, health and security, to name just a few.

The energy sector, particularly with regard to renewable energies, remains high on our cooperation agenda.

Siemens is working to ensure the power supply for around 23 million Iraqis through 13 power stations across the country.

These power plants form a cornerstone of Iraq's reconstruction as they are vital to the country's economic development.

I travel to Germany in the hope that we can continue our efforts to build bridges of dialogue between ourselves and our western partners in order to improve security and stability in our country and in the region.

We, as the Iraqi government, firmly believe that the future will bring about strong German-Iraqi relations.

We hope to put in supporting struts not too dissimilar to the sleepers on the Baghdad-Berlin railway line.