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Germany wants to facilitate repatriation of thousands of Iraqis
[DW] The German development minister, Gerd Muller, says Germany and Iraq will step up cooperation on the reintegration of Iraqi refugees. He said up to 10,000 Iraqis would be helped to return home.German Development Minister Gerd Muller said on Sunday that Berlin and Baghdad had agreed to work together more closely on helping failed Iraqi asylum-seekers in Germany to return to their native country. "The aim is to support up to 10,000 Iraqis from Germany in re-establishing themselves and building something new," Muller said, following talks with Iraqi officials in Baghdad. Muller said Iraqis should have the chance to return to their home country of their own free will and not as "losers." He added that education and employment opportunities would be created in cooperation with Iraqi authorities and companies. During his visit, Muller opened an advice center for returning refugees in the city of Irbil in the Kurdish-administered northern region of Iraq. Another is planned for Baghdad. A meeting between Muller and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi was canceled at short notice because of scheduling problems. Large donor Ahead of his departure for Iraq on Saturday, Muller stressed the need to rebuild infrastructure in the country, particularly schools and education facilities, "so that terrorism doesn't regain a foothold." The German Development Ministry says some 12,000 of the 240,000 Iraqis currently living in Germany are failed asylum-seekers. Germany is the second-biggest giver of aid to Iraq, having pledged around €1.3 billion ($1.6 billion) in financial assistance since 2014, the ministry says. It has also provided military aid in the form of equipment and training for Iraqi security forces and their allies. Posted by: trailing wife 2018-04-23 |
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