ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Iraqi government officially on Thursday opened its embassy in Dublin, Ireland, in an attempt to strengthen bilateral relations and "consolidate the foundations of cooperation and friendship" between the two countries, according to a statement by the Iraqi foreign ministry.

"The opening ceremony was attended by the Deputy Lord Mayor of Dublin Ms. Donna Cooney, and the Head of the Protocol Division Ambassador Gerard Keown, where they delivered welcoming speeches in which they commended this step that reflects Iraq’s interest in strengthening bilateral relations. As well, several ambassadors of Arab and foreign countries participated in the ceremony,” the statement added.

Iraq’s Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein attended the embassy’s opening ceremony where he described the move as reflecting "the depth of relations between the two friendly countries, and comes as an extension of the successes achieved by Iraqi foreign policy at the regional and international levels, in addition to the progress made in multilateral cooperation."

“With the global economy more interconnected than ever, countries are seeking to build new partnerships to enhance prosperity and development, and despite geographical separation, we seek to build strong and resilient economies that are able to provide a better future for the people of both countries,” the statement quoted Hussein as saying.

Hussein also held a meeting with the staff of the Iraqi Embassy in Dublin, where he urged them to exert efforts to "serve Iraq’s interests on the international arena.”

There are many sources claiming different amounts of Iraqi diaspora population. However, some unofficial data place the number of Iraqis living abroad between 1-4 million.

Compared to other western countries, there is a smaller number of Iraqis in Ireland. 

Iraq has around 90 diplomatic representations, including over 70 embassies, 15 consulates and two other diplomatic representations in over 70 countries around the world.