In an interview after his negotiations in Baghdad on Monday, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó said that the command officers of the Hungarian contingent will arrive in Erbil by the end of May, and that the rest of the active contingent will be in Iraq to fight Islamic State by the end of August.
The Hungarian foreign minister said that Baghdad appreciates the efforts of the Hungarian government, as Hungary is the first country from the Central European region to send soldiers there. He stated that the soonest possible defeat of Islamic State is in the common interest of Europe and the Middle East and not just Iraq or Hungary, because Iraq's stability is a priority for Europe.
According to the Minister, the contingent includes six officers in positions of command, 110 soldiers undertaking military duties and 27 troops who will remain on standby in Hungary for possible rotation.
The soldiers will fulfil security and defence-related tasks in the area of Erbil, the capital of the Kurd region.
Mr. Szijjártó declared that the two countries may sign an economic cooperation agreement and a double taxation agreement this year. The Hungarian Eximbank has established a USD $20 million credit line, which was a subject for talks between the two countries, together with the topics of cooperation in the automotive, health and construction sectors.
The Hungarian foreign minister told his Iraqi partners that for the Hungarian government the MOL oil and gas company – which has two oil exploration and production concessions in the Kurdish region – is the flagship of bilateral cooperation.
The parties also agreed that the Hungarian government will take the necessary steps to ensure that the Hungarian National Assembly ratifies the strategic cooperation agreement between the EU and Iraq. Mr. Szijjártó stressed that Hungary considers Iraq a possible strategic partner for the EU in energy policy.
(Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade/MTI)
