"Iraq belongs to the European neighbourhood, and its development will affect Finland, too. Finland has a fairly large Iraqi diaspora community, which means that cooperation between the citizens of the countries and other collaboration are increasing," stated Finnish Foreign Minister Timo Soini on Thursday.
Following Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait, Finland has not had diplomatic personnel in Baghdad. They have used a roving ambassador based in Helsinki.
The return of asylum seekers also was taken into consideration.
"The agenda of the discussions on the bilateral relations between Finland and Iraq includes also questions relating to the return of those whose asylum application has been refused," added Soini.
In 2017, a total of 5,059 people applied for asylum in Finland — a slight drop from 5,657. The country has a population of about 5.5 million.
Currently, 14 European Union member states have ambassadors in Baghdad.
The Finnish ministry did not indicate if it plans to open missions elsewhere in Iraq or in the Kurdistan Region.
Finland has supported Peshmerga in the ISIS conflict through training and advising through the Kurdistan Training Coordination Center (KTCC).
Diplomatic delegations from the Kurdistan Region previously have been welcomed in Helsinki.
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via Defense News
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