As part of international cooperation initiatives and the exchange of expertise, Dr. Ali Taher Al-Hammood, Managing Director of the Al-Bayan Center for Studies and Planning, visited the German capital, Berlin, in a visit organized by the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Friedrich Ebert Foundation. The visit focused on the Iraqi parliamentary elections and their regional and domestic implications, during which he met with several official and non-official institutions in Berlin.
Al-Hammood met with Ms. Laura Broeker, the official in charge of the Iraq portfolio at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), where they discussed avenues for strengthening development cooperation with Iraq in the post-election phase.
The Managing Director of Al-Bayan Center also held talks with the Iraq Team at the German Federal Foreign Office, represented by Ms. Damaris Jenisch and Ms. Laura Leszczynski, during which they discussed current political and security challenges.
The visit additionally included Al-Hammood’s attendance at the German Bundestag, where he met with MP Serdar Yüksel, a member of the Committee on Crisis Prevention, Strategic Foresight, Stabilization, and Peacebuilding. The meeting addressed recent developments in Iraq, particularly the challenges and opportunities facing the country, as well as the potential German role in supporting these efforts.
As part of the visit, Dr. Ali Taher Al-Hammood also met with several research and academic institutions and experts in Berlin. He held discussions with Iraqi and regional affairs specialists at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), including Dr. Isabelle Werenfels and Dr. Hamidreza Azizi; with the Research Director at Zenith Council, Nassif Naeem; and with the Coordinator of the Progressive Alliance, Mathers Cabreros. These meetings examined the potential roles of the international community in supporting Iraq’s reform efforts, as well as Iraq’s possible contributions to promoting peace and stability in the region.
Through this visit, Al-Bayan Center aims to provide an independent analytical perspective from within Iraq to help German policymakers and experts gain a deeper understanding of ongoing developments and to strengthen the strategic dialogue between both sides.
