February 25, 1981
Information about the Planned Visit by the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq to the GDR
This document was made possible with support from Leon Levy Foundation
Ministry for State Security
Main Department XVIII
Berlin, 25 February 1981
Information
about the Planned Visit by the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq to the GDR
It became known through information received from the GDR Ambassador in Iraq on 19 February 1981 that the Iraqi government intends to send the First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, Yasser Rhamadan, to the GDR in the first half of March.
With this visit the Iraqi side pursues the goal to expand overall relations between Iraq and GDR. Their focus is supposed to be on economic cooperation.
For the occasion of this state visit the Iraqi government has proposed to combine it with the 5th meeting of the Joint Economic Commission GDR/Iraq. They plan in this context to include the chairman from the Iraqi side of the commission, Minister Hassam Ali, in their delegation.
Our Ministries for Foreign Trade and Foreign Affairs advise to agree to this Iraqi government proposal in order to continue the current course of further developing cooperation with both Iraq and Iran.
Given the aspect of utilizing this visit for securing GDR export interests, [Minister President] Comrade Stoph received a suggestion to confirm the planned visit.
According to existing information, Comrade Stoph intends to coordinate this Iraqi government proposal with the Soviet party leadership when he will be staying in Moscow for the XXVI CPSU Party Congress.
If the visit gets confirmed, we intend to make respective economic proposals to the Iraqi side in preparation of the visit.
This is about securing for the GDR a couple of major projects, which are currently about to be launched. It concerns such projects as the further export of trucks, railway travel cars, 600 halls, as well as of high voltage equipments and further facilities and objects.
Similar approaches the Iraqi government has launched towards Western European countries.
Recently Y. Rhamadan traveled to Japan for a visit.
The First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Iraq, Yasser Rhamadan, plans to visit the GDR in early 1981 with the hopes of increasing economic cooperation between the two nations. Likewise, the GDR is interesting in building better economic relations in the Middle East, specifically with Iraq and Iran.
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