Following Minister Lipavský's trip to Baghdad in May 2023, when Czechia and Iraq celebrated the 80th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, the Iraqi head of diplomacy visited Prague. 

"Our two countries have had long-standing relations since the times of Czechoslovakia and Czech energy companies have long been involved in building capacity in the refineries in Basra," Minister Lipavský said at the start of the meeting. 

Czech exports to Iraq are still growing and last year reached almost CZK 5 billion, especially in the traditional sectors of energy, defence and automotive.  

New opportunities are opening up for Czech companies within the framework of the important infrastructure project Development Road - a transport corridor through which the Iraqi government wants to connect the Gulf port with the border of Turkey, which is part of the customs union with the EU. "This corridor may eventually bring oil, which  Czechia has started taking from Iraq since the end of 2023. After a successful testing phase, Iraqi oil may become part of the mix to replace Russian oil supplies from around the middle of next year," the Czech diplomatic chief added. The ministers also discussed the humanitarian and stabilisation aid that Czechia has provided to Iraq since 2018, amounting to CZK 152 million.  

The debate also focused on the security situation in Iraq. Czechia and Iraq have long-standing bilateral relations in the field of defence. Czech military and civilian experts are deployed there in NATO, Global Coalition against ISIL, EU and UN missions to support the stabilisation and reform of the country's security sector. "Iraqi pilots fly Czech L-159s and train annually in simulators in Čáslav and Pardubice. Czech Tatra vehicles also have a good reputation in Iraq," Minister Lipavský said. 

The Russian war in Ukraine and the crises in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon were also discussed. The ministers agreed on the need to prevent further destabilisation in the Middle East.