Republic of Iraq

Iraq is a traditional partner of Brazil in the Middle East. Diplomatic relations were established in 1967. In 1972, Brazil opened a resident embassy in Baghdad, and in 1971, the first Iraqi ambassador to the Brazilian government was accredited. Brazil is currently the only Latin American country with a resident embassy in Iraqi territory.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, bilateral relations were marked by significant economic complementarity, resulting in expressive trade flows. The Gulf War, however, led to the interruption of contracts and the consequent retraction of economic ties. Despite the depletion of diplomatic staff in 1991, the Brazilian embassy in Baghdad was never officially closed. It remained in operation, albeit provisionally based in Amman, between 2006 and 2012. The resumption of activities in Baghdad in 2012 contributed to the gradual strengthening of bilateral ties.

In 2003, Brazil opposed military intervention in Iraq, as it was not the result of a specific decision by the United Nations Security Council. Since then, the Brazilian government has expressed support for the resumption of the UN's full role in the country's reconstruction and political reorganization efforts.

In December 2017, the Iraqi government announced the complete recapture of areas previously occupied by the Islamic State, paving the way for a new stage of national reconstruction and the resumption of economic growth. The conclusion of negotiations on the restructuring of Iraq's debt with the Union in 2018 was a decisive step towards eliminating legal obstacles to the granting of guarantees and facilitating the expansion of trade and investment flows.

In the commercial field, exchange between Brazil and Iraq has shown variations over time. In 2024, the trade flow reached $1.906 billion (an increase of 47.7% compared to the previous year), resulting from $1.906 billion in Brazilian exports (an increase of 47.9%) and only $0.2 million in imports (a decrease of 91.7%). The surplus for Brazil was $1.906 billion. The main products exported in 2024 were sugar (35%), poultry meat (21%), live animals (16%), soybeans (14%) and steel pipes and profiles (5.1%). Brazilian imports, on the other hand, were concentrated in residual petroleum products (56%), fuel oils (33%), preparations and cereals (5.4%) and pumps for liquids (4.5%). With the progressive stabilization of the domestic situation in Iraq and initiatives to rebuild and develop the country, Iraq remains an important economic partner for Brazil in the region, especially as a market for agricultural products. Foreign direct investment opportunities, especially in infrastructure, may favor closer ties between the two countries in the coming years.

Chronology of bilateral relations

2024 – Meeting between Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq, Fuad Hussein, on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly

2022 – Visit to Iraq by the Secretary of Strategic Affairs of the Presidency of the Republic, Admiral Flávio Rocha

2018 – Agreement to restructure Iraq's debt with Brazil

2018 – Visit by the Undersecretary-General for Africa and the Middle East of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Baghdad. Signing of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Establishment of Political Consultations

2018 – Iraqi Minister of Water Resources, Hassan Al Janabi, visits Brazil

2017 – Conclusion of negotiations with a delegation from Iraq’s Ministry of Finance for the restructuring of that country’s debt with the Union, in Brasília

2015 – Defense Minister, Jaques Wagner, visits Iraq

2015 – Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ibrahim Al Jaafari, visits Brazil

2012 – 9th meeting of the Brazil-Iraq Joint Commission, in Baghdad

2012 – Soccer match between Brazil and Iraq, in Sweden

2012 – Reopening of the Brazilian Embassy in Baghdad, after 21 years without diplomatic staff

2011 – 8th Meeting of the Brazil-Iraq Joint Commission, in Brasília

2011 – Meeting between Foreign Minister Antônio Patriota and Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari in New York on the sidelines of the 66th UNGA

2009 – Iraqi Industry Minister Fawzi Hariri visits Brazil

2009 – Iraqi Planning Minister Ali Ghalib Baban visits Brazil

2008 – Iraqi Trade Minister Abdel Falah Al Sudani visits Brazil

2007 – Former Iraqi Prime Minister and Secretary General of the Dawa Party, Ibrahim Al Jaafari, visits Brazil

2006 – Official opening in Amman of the new provisional headquarters of the Brazilian Embassy to the Iraqi government, replacing the Iraqi Affairs Center of the embassy in Amman

2005 – Foreign Minister Celso Amorim participates in the International Conference on Iraq, organized by the Council of the European Union and the United States of America, in Brussels

2005 – Iraqi President Jalal Talabani visits Brasilia to participate in the 1st South American-Arab Countries Summit – ASPA

2004 – Creation of the Iraqi Affairs Center at the embassy in Amman, as part of the process of gradually reactivating its embassy in Baghdad

2003 – Statement by Brazil regretting the beginning of armed action in Iraq and the use of force without express authorization from the United Nations Security Council

2001 – End of the ordinary liquidation regime of the Brazilian-Iraqi Bank

1994 – Visit to Brasilia by Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Said Al Sahaf

1991 – Departure of Brazilian citizens and companies from Iraq as a result of the Gulf War, leading to the termination of contracts and non-payment of Iraqi debts. The Brazilian embassy in Baghdad is emptied of its diplomatic staff

1988 – 7th Meeting of the Brazil-Iraq Joint Commission, in Baghdad

1988 – Mission of the Secretary-General of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Paulo Tarso Flecha de Lima, to Baghdad

1987 – 6th Meeting of the Brazil-Iraq Joint Commission, in Brasília

1985 – 5th Meeting of the Brazil-Iraq Joint Commission, in Baghdad

1984 – Signing of the minutes of the final agreement stipulating the payment of the additional costs caused by the war in the construction of the Railway project

1984 – 4th Meeting of the Brazil-Iraq Joint Commission, in Brasília

1983 – Visit to Baghdad by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Ramiro Saraiva Guerreiro

1982 – 3rd Meeting of the Brazil-Iraq Joint Commission, in Baghdad

1982 – Beginning of the trade disputes involving wartime costs claimed by Mendes Júnior from the client of the Railway project. Establishment of the Iraqi-Brazilian Bank, headquartered in Rio de Janeiro

1982 – Signing of the Executive Program for Cultural, Scientific and Educational Cooperation

1981 – Signing of the contract for the construction of the Express-Way No. 1 highway by Mendes Júnior. 2nd Meeting of the Brazil-Iraq Joint Commission, in Brasília

1979 – 1st Meeting of the Brazil-Iraq Joint Commission, in Baghdad

1979 – Visit to Brasília by the Vice President of Iraq, Taha Marouf

1978 – Signing of the contract for the construction of the Novo Hotel hotels in Baghdad and Baçorá by Esusa Construtora. First contracts for the supply of Passat and VW vehicles. Mission of the Brazilian Minister of Industry and Commerce to Baghdad. Signing of the contract for the construction of the Baghdad-Al Kashat Railway by Construtora Mendes Júnior, worth $1.2 billion

1977 – Signing of the Economic and Technological Cooperation Agreement

1972 – Establishment of a resident embassy of Brazil in Baghdad (Decree No. 70,775, of June 28, 1972)

1971 – Accreditation by Iraq of its first resident ambassador to Brazil. Signing of the Trade Cooperation Agreement between Brazil and Iraq in Baghdad (expired on July 6, 1977)

1968 – Creation of the Brazilian embassy in Iraq, cumulative with the embassy in Damascus (Decree No. 62,123, of January 16, 1968)

1967 – Official establishment of diplomatic relations between Brazil and Iraq

1939 – Signing of the first trade agreement between the United States of Brazil and the Kingdom of Iraq

1935 – Sending of a letter from the Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Iraq, Jamal Baban, to the Brazilian foreign minister recognizing the Iraqi Red Crescent as an official body of the Arab government for the purposes of the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded and Sick in Armies in the Field (1929). This is the first official correspondence exchanged between the two governments.