21 November 2017, 17:15
A delegation of Ukrainian members of parliament is paying visit to the Republic of Iraq
The Parliamentary friendship group headed by Ihor Lapin, MP, stays in Iraq with the official visit which is on schedule for November 21-24.
The goal of the visit is to restore inter-parliamentary links between Ukraine and the Republic of Iraq, and have ample talks over the future comprehensive development of mutual cooperation in trade, economy, and culture.
In the course of the visit, there will be a range of practical meetings with Iraqi high-ranking politicians from the Council of Representatives of Iraq, the Health Committee and the Economy and Investments Committee of the Council, including a wide ministerial panel chaired by the deputy foreign minister.
Worthy of note
· Population 37 million
· Area 438,317 sq km
· Major languages Arabic, Kurdish
· Major religion Islam
· Life expectancy 68 years (men), 73 years (women)
· Currency Iraqi dinar
President: Fuad Masum. He is the second ethnic Kurdish president of Iraq, succeeding Jalal Talabani.
Prime Minister: Haider al-Abadi
Some key dates in Iraq's history:
1534-1918 - Ottoman rule.
1917 - Britain seizes control, creates state of Iraq.
1932 - Independence, followed by coups.
1979 - Saddam Hussein becomes president.
1980-1988 - Iran-Iraq war.
1990 - Iraq invades Kuwait, putting it on a collision course with the international community.
1991 - Iraq subjected to sanctions, weapons inspections and no-fly zones.
2003 - US-led coalition invades, starting years of guerrilla warfare and instability.
2014 - The armed Islamic State group emerges as a major force in the region and seizes large parts of Iraq, which it holds until a government offensive drives it out in 2016.