New Delhi, Feb 10: 15 Iraqi diplomats have arrived in India to receive training as part of a painstaking reconstruction of their country. The diplomats, most of them young and inexperienced, are presently horning their skills at the foreign service institute of the Ministry of External Affairs in a special 8-week programme.
A team of academics, retired mea officials and experts are training the Iraqis who arrived in the middle of January. The course includes upgrading their understanding of global and regional issues and improving practical skills like communication, handling of computers, protocol and conference management.
''We are very happy to receive you,'' External Affairs Minister Yashwant Sinha told the Iraqi diplomats who called on him at the South Block this evening. ''This training is a small contribution by India to the building of a new Iraq. What is needed today is to make Iraq a respected member of the international community,'' he said.
The number of the Iraqi group is down to 14 after one of them returned home following a death in his family. There are four women among the diplomats who are from different parts of Iraq.
Sinha said that India remained committed to the reconstruction of Iraq. ''We will do what we are called upon to do by the international community and the Iraqi administration.''
The diplomats arrived for the training following a request from the Governing Council of Iraq. The Iraqi diplomats are expected to play a significant role in the rebuilding of their country.
Bureau Report