Germany–Iraq relations

The 1941 Iraqi coup d'état (Arabic: ثورة رشيد عالي الكيلاني), also called the Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani coup or the Golden Square coup, was a nationalist and pro-Nazi coup d'état in Iraq on 1 April 1941 that overthrew the pro-British regime of Regent 'Abd al-Ilah and his Prime Minister Nuri al-Said and installed Rashid Ali al-Gaylani as Prime Minister. Iraq remained a co-belligerent state of the Axis and ally of Nazi Germany until it fought against the United Kingdom in the Anglo-Iraqi War in May 1941, which resulted in the downfall of Ali's government, the re-occupation of Iraq by the British Empire, and the restoration to power of the Regent of Iraq, Prince 'Abd al-Ilah, an ally to Britain.

Iraq had full diplomatic recognition to the GDR, being the only non-communist regime to do so at the time. Iraq's full diplomatic recognition of East Germany and Foreign Minister Otto Winzer's acknowledgement of that recognition were announced in Neues Deutschland on 2 May 1969.[2]

The Iraqi decision did not come entirely as a surprise, following as it did the extended visit by Foreign Minister Abdul Karim al-Shaykhli to the Soviet Union and East Germany from 20 to 31 March 1969,[3] in which as a result of this visit, discussions amounted to both countries tightening relations and taking further "steps for deepening cooperation in political, economic and cultural fields." Iraq had thus become the fourteenth state to fully recognize East Germany (in addition to the thirteen "socialist" states) and the first of the non-aligned or "third" world nation to make this decision.

At the same time, Iraq exported oil into the GDR,[4] the GDR exported military vehicles and weapons into Iraq. In 1982 the GDR imported weapons both into Iran and Iraq (who were at war with each other).[5]

Although Iraq had relations with the Federal Republic of Germany since 1953, they only maintained ease relations. In 1965, Iraq and the other Arab states severed relations with the FRG, following the establishment of relations with Israel. The ties were later restored.[6]

After the Gulf War in 1990/91 and during the period of occupation after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, diplomatic relations had been continued to a limited degree.

Germany along with China, Russia, France, and Belgium, steadfastly countered the proposal for the 2003 Invasion[7]

In August 2014, the German government announced that it would be supplying weapons to Kurdish peshmerga forces fighting ISIL. The shipments include arms, armor, and communications equipment; the German ministry of defence reported that the military aid will be enough to supply 4,000 Kurdish peshmerga forces.[8]

The military aid, worth approximately €70 million, includes 8,000 G36 rifles and four million rounds of ammunition, 8,000 G3 rifles and two million rounds of ammunition, 8,000 P1 pistols and one million rounds of ammunition, 40 MG3 machine guns and one million rounds of ammunition, 200 Panzerfaust 3 rocket-propelled grenade launchers and 2,500 rocket propelled grenades, 30 MILAN anti tank missile systems and 500 missiles, 40 Wolf light utility vehicle and 20 armored Wolf light utility vehicles, 40 UNIMOG trucks, and 5 Dingo-1 infantry mobility vehicles.[9]

By December 2014, in support of the US-led military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, the German Cabinet approved the deployment of up to 100 Bundeswehr troops to northern Iraq to train peshmerga forces.[10]