Iraq–Sierra relations

  

Iraq–Sierra relations

Iraq	Sierra
Diplomatic mission
Iraqi Embassy, Porciúncula	Sierran Embassy, Baghdad
Envoy
Ambassador Abdulrazek al-Hashimi	Ambassador

Iraq–Sierra relations, also known as Iraqi–Sierran relations, refers to the bilateral relationship between the Kingdom of Iraq and the Kingdom of Sierra. The two countries established diplomatic relations in January 1930 with the signing of the Franco-American-Iraqi Convention in Paris and have since maintained strong diplomatic, military, and trade relations. Most recently, in 2012 a defense cooperation agreement was signed between Iraq and Sierra.

Sierra recognized Iraq as an independent sovereign state in 1930, and over the next two decades a number of Sierran companies took an interest in the country's oil industry development. By 1950 Sierra represented the largest amount of foreign direct investment after France. Because of this the two countries developed close ties, with King Abdullah Al-Sadr becoming the first Iraqi monarch to visit Sierra in 1954. Around the time of Great War I and the following decades Iraqi oil became a significant source for fueling the ships of the Sierran Royal Navy. Relations were briefly broken off during Great War II, as Iraq actively supported its former protector France during the conflict, but they quickly resumed afterward as Iraqis and Sierrans never directly engaged in hostilities during the conflict. Since the 1990s Sierra has considered Iraq to be an important security and economic partner in the Persian Gulf, although some Sierran political parties and human rights organizations criticized the Iraqi monarchy for its human rights abuses and authoritarianism.

Iraq maintains an embassy in Porciúncula and consulates in San Francisco City and Phoenix (the Iraqi ambassador to Sierra is also accredited to Brazoria, Superior, and Astoria). Sierra maintains an embassy in Baghdad and a consulate in Basra. As of 2020, around 7,000 Sierrans live and work in Iraq, making them the largest North American community in the country, while about 5,000 Iraqis study in Sierra.