Finland Times

A delegation of the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement visited Finland last week and met with officials from the Finnish Ministry of Interior and the Immigration Service, as well as the Ministry of Employment and Economy, and police representatives.

A number of topics were discussed with focus on the repatriation of Iraqis whose applications for asylum in Finland have been refused or who have cancelled their applications.

The Finnish authority said Finland has two goals in the negotiations: Firstly, to ensure as smooth and effective procedure as possible for those returning to Iraq voluntarily; secondly, to enable the repatriation of those who are rejected but do not want to return to Iraq voluntarily.

The two countries hoped, in particular, to facilitate voluntary return of Iraqis to their home countries.

The Interior Ministry said that the negotiations between the two countries are expected to continue, when the Finnish delegation visits Iraq later the spring.

According to the Finnish Immigration Service, last year Finland received more than 33,000 asylum seekers, of whom around 20,000 were from Iraq.