The Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, His Excellency Mr. Peter Fiala, hosted the Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, His Excellency Mr. Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani, during the official visit of the Iraqi Prime Minister to the Czech Republic on February 13, 2025.

Following the official meeting between the prime ministers, the following joint statement was issued:

Bilateral Relations and Mutual Cooperation

The two leaders praised the long history of friendship and fruitful, multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries. Prime Minister Fiala expressed his appreciation for the recent achievements of the Iraqi government on its path towards establishing lasting peace, stability, and economic prosperity, including Iraq's pioneering and leading role in the war against terrorism.

For his part, Prime Minister Al-Sudani commended the significant contribution of the Czech Republic to the international efforts within the International Coalition to eradicate the ISIS terrorist entity, as well as its support for reconstruction and humanitarian development efforts in Iraq following ISIS' battlefield defeat.

Security Cooperation and Counter-Terrorism

Amid the ongoing transformation of the multilateral security partnership within the International Coalition to Combat ISIS, the two sides emphasized the importance of continued cooperation against terrorism in this context, both bilaterally and multilaterally within relevant international organizations. The Iraqi side also praised the significant contribution of the NATO mission in Iraq and the EU Advisory Mission in Iraq, in which the Czech Republic participates.

Economic Cooperation

Based on the Economic Cooperation and Trade Promotion Agreement between the governments of the Republic of Iraq and the Czech Republic, the two sides reiterated their commitment to enhancing the role and effectiveness of the Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation, jointly managed by the Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals and the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade. This committee aims to provide recommendations for measures that would unlock new opportunities in trade, investment, energy, and industrial cooperation and strives for higher levels of mutual trade and investment between the two countries.

The two sides expressed their readiness to continue efforts to create favorable conditions for businesses and investors to operate in each other's markets through cooperation and support for trade promotion activities. They also expressed their desire to enhance economic, trade, and investment cooperation in various fields, including but not limited to crude oil refining, the chemical industry, mining and metal processing, geological surveying, environmental technologies (especially sustainable waste management, circular economy, air quality monitoring, and water resource management), infrastructure development, transportation, civil aviation, the railway industry, construction equipment and materials, energy engineering and renewable energy, the medical industry and medical equipment, as well as agricultural machinery and food processing equipment.

Both sides welcomed the signing of the Air Transport Services Agreement between the two governments, recognizing its positive impact on mutual tourism and trade.

Additionally, the two sides welcomed the Letter of Intent for Cooperation in Environmental Protection signed between the Iraqi Ministry of Environment and the Czech Ministry of Environment. The Czech Ministry of Environment and its relevant institutions expressed their readiness to share their expertise in protecting air and water quality, disaster risk management, biodiversity conservation, and managing protected natural areas. They also expressed their readiness to share information about strategic and legal foundations for air and water protection and introduce the Iraqi side to the national monitoring and surveillance network in the relevant fields. Recognizing the importance of providing an appropriate legal framework to create encouraging conditions for businesses and investors to operate in both markets, the two sides announced their continued negotiations to reach an agreement on avoiding double taxation and preventing tax evasion on income and capital, with the aim of signing it in the near future. They also agreed to provide the necessary cooperation and support to continue negotiations on an agreement to promote and protect mutual investments.

Prime Minister Al-Sudani emphasized the large-scale Iraqi infrastructure development project—particularly the "Development Road" vision, which aims to create a strategic corridor linking the south to the north for the efficient transport of energy, passengers, and goods, presenting a significant investment opportunity for Czech suppliers. The two prime ministers tasked the Joint Committee on Economic Cooperation with identifying sectors and projects with specified opportunities in this regard.