Three problems behind the deterioration of the {Iraqi Passport}

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[size=52]Three problems behind the deterioration of the {Iraqi Passport}[/size]

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 Baghdad: Omar Abdul Latif

The Iraqi passport ranked (before last) in the ranking of international passports, according to the classification of the Swiss consulting company “Henley & Partners” for the second quarter of 2022 based on the Freedom of Movement Index, and it is a rank inherent to the Iraqi passport for years, no less than the country’s rating. In other global indicators, the former Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee identified 3 main problems for the deterioration of the classification of the Iraqi passport.
The former head of the Foreign Relations Committee in the House of Representatives, Abdel Bari Zebari, told Al-Sabah: “Legal, security and political problems control the status of the Iraqi passport among the passports of other countries of the world,” noting that “some countries tend to conclude agreements with each other to lift the entry visa because they You need the approval of Parliament, while the memorandum of understanding is easier than the agreements and does not need all that, and this legal problem is one of the problems of the low level of the Iraqi passport.”
He added, "Another problem is the political exploitation of this file by some blocs, as some refuse to lift (the visa) from the citizens of countries due to political problems between them and Iraq, while such a matter can facilitate the movement of Iraqis in those countries."
Regarding the Ministry of Interior’s procedure for converting the passport into an electronic one, Zebari stressed that “this matter can raise the level of the Iraqi passport technically and technically and prevent forgery, which facilitates Iraqis obtaining (visa), but it cannot raise the level of the Iraqi passport or raise (the visa) by some. countries, as this requires a binding agreement between Iraq and other countries.”
While the former head of the Parliamentary Committee praised the Iraqi government's decision to encourage investments inside the country and cancel entry visas for a group of countries, he added that "there must be reciprocity by those countries to the Iraqis."
According to the classification of the Swiss consulting company "Henley & Partners" for the second quarter of 2022, the Iraqi passport ranked penultimate based on the freedom of movement index by obtaining only 28 free visas, i.e. ranked 110 out of 111 countries listed in the table, preceded by the Syrian passport with 29 visas. free, and the Pakistani with 31 free visas, while the Afghan passport ranked last with 26 free visas.
As for the former member of the Foreign Relations Committee in the House of Representatives, Dr. Dhafer Al-Ani, he stated that “there are several factors that determine the strength of the passport in any country, and if it is not applied, you should not be surprised by its low status.”
Al-Ani added that “the global ranking of the status of any passport is measured by the number of countries allowed to enter without a visa, or whose visas are granted with simplified procedures, and this undoubtedly depends on several things, including (the extent of internal stability of any country), as some countries are strict in granting (visa) to countries. anxious in anticipation of immigration.” And he indicated that "countries have security considerations in granting (visa) to citizens of countries where violence abounds for fear of terrorists or extremists moving to them, in addition to the element of reciprocity. Countries that are strict in granting a visa (such as Iraq) are strict in granting their citizens a visa," stressing that “Reforms must start from within first and then be organized through protocols
 duality.”

  Editing: Muhammad Al-Ansari
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