EUAM Visits Anbar

In accordance with the EU Advisory Mission’s efforts to build relations and expand EUAM’s scope of work to the whole of Iraq, EUAM visited Anbar province. The delegation was headed by our Head of Mission Dr. Markus Ritter and met with Deputy Governor of Anbar, Chief of Police, and other key officials.

The Head of Mission started the meeting by introducing himself and the Mission and outlined what the Mission could offer to assist civilian policing in Anbar, and the coordination function of the Mission vis-à-vis the European Union (EU) member states and the wider international community. Throughout, he emphasised that the Mission was not trying to impose a foreign model on Iraqi policing but was here to help the Iraqis to implement their own ideas and plans.

All the Iraqi interlocutors welcomed him to Anbar and thanked him for his interest in policing in the province and they assured him that they would fully support Mission activity in the province.  The Deputy Governor apologised for the Governor not being able to attend the meeting and said that he was currently in Qatar. He emphasised the importance of security in Anbar with reference to the fight against Da’esh and underlined the need for good security to create an environment where investment and reconstruction could take place, and the importance of local policing and bringing the police and the people closer together.

Head of the Mission emphasised that the EU will be a reliable and long-term partner and offered to send strategic advisers to meet with the Anbar police at the working level to see what specific support could be provided, especially in returning the police from the ‘green’ to the ‘blue’ role.