Czech envoy says Baghdad should offer more guarantees to lift trade with Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Czech ambassador to Iraq, Jan Snaidauf, said economic ties between his country and Iraq remain well below their potential, with annual Czech exports to Iraq ranging between $200 million and $300 million while Iraqi exports to the Czech Republic are near zero. In an interview, Snaidauf noted that Czech companies have previously worked in Iraq on oil refineries, water facilities, dams and power projects, building a base for future cooperation. The ambassador said foreign investors weigh risk levels when deciding on Iraq and called on Baghdad to provide additional guarantees. He said Prague hopes to sign double-taxation and investment-protection agreements with Iraq this year, though he did not name a specific signing date. Snaidauf also said talks are continuing on the maintenance of Czech-made training aircraft already in Iraqi service and on the export of newer models. He did not provide further details on the stage of the aircraft talks or which Iraqi entities are involved.