The ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Iraq is the official representative of the president and the government of the Russian Federation to the prime minister and the government of Iraq.
The ambassador and his staff work at large in the Embassy of Russia in Baghdad. There is a Russian consulate-general in Erbil. The current ambassador is Elbrus Kutrashev, incumbent since 8 April 2021.
Background
The historic relations between Russia and Iraq began when the latter was part of the Ottoman Empire. The Russian imperial government still showed wide interest in the region. Since the 19th century, a Russian consulate was functioning in Baghdad, due to the Shia Muslims' pilgrimage to the holy cities of Baghdad, Karbala and Najaf. After the Russian Empire annexed the North Caucasus and Central Asia this further increased due to the large Shia populations native to those regions. According to the Russian consul in Baghdad on 19 November 1890, 19,500 pilgrims from the North Caucasus and Central Asia visited the holy shrines in Iraq. However, after the end of the Ottoman rule in the region, the diplomatic mission was ended.
Soviet Union re-established diplomatic ties with newly independent Iraq on 9 September 1944. In 1955, relations were disrupted by the Iraqi side. In July 1958, both countries resumed diplomatic relations.
Timeline of the diplomatic relations
25 August - 9 September 1944 - diplomatic relations were established at the mission level. 3 January - 8 January 1955 - diplomatic relations were interrupted by the Iraqi government. 18 July 1958 - an agreement was reached on the resumption of diplomatic relations at the embassy level.
List of representatives (1944–present) Soviet Union to the Kingdom of Iraq (1944–1958) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesEnvoy29 November 194420 January 1949Chargé d'affaires19528 January 1955Diplomatic relations interrupted (1955 - 1958)
Soviet Union to the First Iraqi Republic (1958–1968) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesAmbassador31 July 195815 October 1961Ambassador15 October 19617 August 1965Ambassador7 August 19651968
Soviet Union to the Second Iraqi Republic (1968–1991) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesAmbassador196817 December 1969Ambassador20 February 197029 December 1973Ambassador29 December 197317 March 1982Ambassador17 March 198219 December 1989Ambassador13 March 199025 December 1991
Russian Federation to the Second Iraqi Republic (1991–2003) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesAmbassador13 March 199022 April 1992Ambassador22 August 19946 August 1999Ambassador9 August 199929 March 2002Vladimir TitorenkoAmbassador29 March 200216 May 2003
Russian Federation to the Coalition Provisional Authority (2003–2004) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesVladimir TitorenkoAmbassador16 May 20038 December 2003Chargé d'affaires8 December 200328 June 2004
Russian Federation to the Republic of Iraq (2004–present) NameTitleAppointmentTerminationNotesChargé d'affaires28 June 20043 March 2005Ambassador3 March 200516 October 2008Valerian ShuvaevAmbassador16 October 20082 March 2012Ambassador2 March 20123 October 2016Ambassador3 October 20168 April 2021Elbrus KutrashevAmbassador8 April 2021
See also Foreign relations of Iraq
References
External links List of Soviet ambassadors to Iraq, from 1944-55 List of Soviet ambassadors to Iraq from 1955-91 Iraq at Ministry of Foreign Affairs