India |
Iraq |
The bilateral relations between the Republic of Iraq and the Republic of India have been traditionally friendly and collaborative. Cultural interaction and economic trade between ancient India and Mesopotamia date back to 1800 BC.[1] The 1952 Treaty of Friendship established and strengthened ties between contemprorary India and Iraq.[2] By 1970s, Iraq was regarded as one of India's closest allies in the Middle East.[3]
Ties between India and Iraq were disrupted during the Iran-Iraq War, the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq War. However, the bilateral relations normalized after the establishment of democratic government in Iraq.
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Iraq was one of the few countries in the Middle East with which India established diplomatic relations at the embassy level immediately after its independence in 1947.[4] Both nations signed the "Treaty of Perpetual Peace and Friendship" in 1952 and an agreement of cooperation on cultural affairs in 1954.[4] India was amongst the first to recognize the Baath Party-led government, and Iraq remained neutral during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965. However, Iraq sided alongside other Gulf States in supporting Pakistan against India during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971, which saw the creation of Bangladesh.[4] Nonetheless, Iraq and India continued to maintain strong economic and military ties. During the early 1980s, the Indian Air Force was training more than 120 Iraqi MiG-21 pilots.[5]
The eight-year long Iran–Iraq War caused a steep decline in trade and commerce between the two nations.[4] During the 1991 Persian Gulf War, India was opposed to the use of force against Iraq. India stopped the refueling of military planes after the second week of war in 1991. Iraq had been one of India's largest export markets before the 1991 gulf war.[4] It opposed U.N. sanctions on Iraq, but the period of war and Iraq's isolation further diminished India's commercial and diplomatic ties.[4] From 1999 onwards, Iraq and India began to work towards a stronger relationship. Iraq had supported India's right to conduct nuclear tests following its tests of five nuclear weapons on May 11 and May 13, 1998.[4] In 2000, the then-Vice President of Iraq Taha Yassin Ramadan visited India, and on August 6, 2002 President Saddam Hussein conveyed Iraq's "unwavering support" to India over the Kashmir dispute with Pakistan.[4][6] India and Iraq established joint ministerial committees and trade delegations to promote extensive bilateral cooperation.[7][8]
India's ties with Iraq suffered due to the U.N. sanctions on Iraq, but India soon developed trade within the Oil-for-Food program, which permitted Iraq to export oil for essential goods.[8] However, a 2005 investigation of the program revealed that the then-Indian minister of external affairs Natwar Singh and the congress party had possibly received kickbacks from the Baathist regime, leading to his resignation and at the request of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.[9]
India had preserved its neutrality over the U.S.-led 2003 invasion of Iraq, criticizing the lack of U.N. approval, but also hinted that it would consider sending troops to post-war Iraq to help maintain security and peace after a unanimous vote in the U.N. Security Council over the Coalition's presence and mission in Iraq.[10]However this was ruled out after protests from public and political parties which have been opposing USA. It normalized its ties with the new democratically-elected government of Iraq in 2005, seeking to restart trade and co-operation. Indian businesses applied for contracts for reconstruction projects to the Iraqi government, and more recently the activities of Iraqi businesses in India have been growing rapidly.[8]
Iraq is one of the major suppliers of crude oil to India, exporting 220,000 barrels of oil per day to Indian Oil Corporation.[11]
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