Due to “weak diplomatic representation,” a parliamentary move is underway to replace Iraq’s ambassadors.
On Monday, Mukhtar al-Moussawi, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, called for a radical change in the performance of Iraqi foreign policy, criticizing what he described as the “weak representation” of some diplomatic missions abroad.
Al-Moussawi told Shafaq News Agency that “Iraq’s position remains unclear in light of regional tensions, particularly those related to the conflict between the United States and Israel on one side, and Iran on the other,” noting that “this ambiguity reflects the need for a comprehensive reassessment of the foreign relations system.”
He added that “ambassadors represent the face of Iraq abroad, but most of them do not work at the required level,” stressing that he raised during the meeting of the Foreign Relations Committee the need to “replace and change a number of ambassadors.”
Al-Moussawi explained that the committee intends to submit a proposal to the new Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, which includes reviewing the performance of diplomatic missions and working to replace ambassadors who do not provide representation befitting Iraq.
This proposal comes at a time when criticism of the mechanism for appointing ambassadors is escalating, amid repeated accusations that it is subject to political quotas at the expense of professional competence, which has been reflected in repeated diplomatic crises that have sparked widespread controversy in political and media circles.
The Iraqi parliament voted on August 26, 2025, on the list of “new ambassadors” sent by the “outgoing” Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, after a parliamentary debate.
According to the list of ambassadors that Shafaq News Agency reviewed at the time, it revealed that a significant number of the names on the list were sons or direct relatives of influential political figures in the country, some of whom were just over thirty years old, without any diplomatic background or professional record that would qualify them for this sovereign position.
Shafaq.com