Philippines, Iraq Convene 8^th Joint Commission Meeting in Manila after 10 Years

(From left) Iraq Council of Ministers General Secretariat Jassam Adwan, Department of Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Mardomel Melicor of the Middle East and African Affairs, Head of Iraqi Delegation Dr. Khamees H. Ali, Iraqi Embassy in Manila Charge d’Affaires Dr. Khalid Ibrahim Mohammed, Iraqi Ministry of Health Training Director Dr. Muntadar S. Saber. (Photo by DFA-OPCD James Artiaga)

31 August 2023 – The Philippines and Iraq convened the 8^th Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) in Manila on 30 August 2023 at the Manila Diamond Hotel after a 10-year gap. The 7^th Philippines-Iraq JCM was hosted by the Iraqi side in Baghdad back in 2013.

The Philippine delegation was led by Assistant Secretary Mardomel Celo D. Melicor of the Department of Foreign Affairs Office of Middle East and African Affairs, while the Iraqi delegation was led by His Excellency Khamees Hussein Ali, Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Iraq. The Iraqi delegation included representatives from Iraq’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Health, Agriculture, Transportation, Construction and Housing, Finance, Education, Labor and Social Affairs.

“The Department of Foreign Affairs is honored to host this round of the Joint Commission Meeting. We are confident that the meeting made us progress forward in our bilateral relations with Iraq, one of our longstanding and friendly partners in the Middle East region. Iraq has been consistently supportive of the Philippines in many aspects of our relations, particularly in the protection of our nationals. This Joint Commission Meeting was an opportunity to dialogue with our Iraqi counterparts to set the direction of our bilateral relations in the years to come,” Assistant Secretary Melicor said.

This JCM aimed to revitalize the relations between the Philippines and Iraq and realign priority areas of cooperation to reflect the current aspirations, needs and targets of both countries. It took into account the transformation in the geopolitical and economic landscape in Asia and the Middle East, and sought to encourage Philippine and Iraqi stakeholders to proactively explore opportunities for cooperation in health, culture, trade, agriculture, finance, and security. The 8^th JCM also discussed consular cooperation to establish safety nets for Filipino nationals in Iraq, as well as multilateral cooperation. The next JCM will be hosted by the Iraqi side. END

(Photos courtesy of DFA-OPCD James Artiaga)