On Friday, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fuad Hussein, met with Swiss Minister of Justice and Police, Beat Jans, in Bern, Switzerland. According to a statement from the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), the meeting focused on exploring ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and develop relations between the two countries.
During the meeting, the Iraqi Foreign Minister expressed gratitude for Switzerland’s efforts regarding the recovery of smuggled Iraqi artifacts. Additionally, on the sidelines of the meeting, a declaration of intent was signed between Iraq and Switzerland concerning the voluntary return of Iraqi citizens whose residence requests have been denied.
Minister Hussein emphasized the importance of resolving the issue of Iraqi funds smuggled out of the country and held by Swiss authorities, urging their return to the Iraqi government. The statement further noted that the two parties discussed the potential for an agreement to exempt holders of diplomatic passports from Swiss entry visas, as well as cooperation between the Iraqi Ministry of Interior and the Swiss Ministry of Justice and Police.
In other news, the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Friday that Iraq has received ancient artifacts belonging to the Assyrian civilization from Switzerland. Within the framework of Iraq’s diplomatic efforts to recover smuggled artifacts, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein received three highly valuable Assyrian artifacts from the Swiss Minister of the Interior, Elisabeth Baume-Schneider. The Foreign Minister thanked the Swiss government for its cooperation in returning these important cultural legacies. The artifacts include an Assyrian Sun God statue and two wall reliefs dating back to the Assyrian era before Christ. The Ministry has previously received thousands of artifacts from various countries belonging to the Mesopotamian civilization and dozens of artifacts from the Swiss government in the past two years.
