British embassy resumes Iraqi visas

UK Minister of Trade and Investment Lord Stephen Crane has announced Iraqis will now be able to apply for British visas directly through Baghdad, for the first time in 21 years. The embassy held an inauguration ceremony on Thursday, attended by Iraq’s Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari and other international diplomats, to celebrate the fact. Crane said at the ceremony: “From today, Iraqi citizens will be able to submit their applications for British visas – and directly from the British embassy in Baghdad, instead of Oman or any other third country." The news comes amid burgeoning relations between the two countries. Zebari and Crane, who cut the inauguration ribbon together, considered this an important step in the expansion of economic, trade and cultural cooperation between the two countries.