France inaugurated a new visa application center in Mosul, northern Iraq, on Wednesday. It is the first European facility of its kind in the city that is being rebuilt after it was retaken from the Islamic State armed group that occupied the town between 2014-17 and used it as its administrative capital.
A notice on the website of the French embassy in Iraq says that applications for French or Schengen area visa "will be dealt with at the French embassy in Bagdad" before being returned to applicants in Mosul.
"The opening of this center concretely reflects France's commitment to Mosul and the province of Nineveh," added the French Consul General in Mosul, Jean-Christophe Augé. "This center will facilitate visa applications for residents, notably students, academics, businessmen, and tourists."
Previously, Mosul's 1.5 million residents had to travel about 500 km to apply for visas in Baghdad. There is another visa center in the nearby city of Erbil, but that serves only residents of the autonomous Kurdistan region.
Mosul hosts a Turkish consulate, UN and international NGO offices, but Niniveh Governor Nejm al-Joubouri noted that France was "the first European country" to have appointed a consul general in the city. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed Augé as French Consul in Mosul on 16 May 2022.
Un noueau consul de Frane à Mossoul - Suivant la promesse d' @EmmanuelMacron lors de sa visite en Irak, le Président a nommé Jean-Christophe Augé Consul général de France à Mossoul. Nous lui souhaitons la bienvenue et l'attendons avec impatience. #Mossoul #Irak #France pic.twitter.com/4KkaKbIISn
— fr. Olivier Poquillon OP (@OPoquillon) May 18, 2022
As the second-largest city in Iraq, Mosul fell under the control of jihadists in 2014, who made it their "capital". In July 2017, Iraqi forces backed by an international coalition led by Washington recaptured the city.
Reconstruction
Although reconstruction is progressing slowly and large areas of the city are in ruins, Mosul has regained some semblance of normalcy: shops have reopened, traffic jams have returned, and historic sites are benefiting from restoration projects funded by international agencies.
In the summer of 2022, authorities launched the reconstruction of the international airport in Mosul, which has remained abandoned nearly six years after the defeat of the jihadists. The project was entrusted to two Turkish companies by the Niniveh regional authorities.
"This aspect of the economy, of investments, is one of the areas in which we intend to develop our presence," Augé told the French press agency AFP.
"Of course, French actors, investors, have expectations in terms of security and transparency. But we are confident that there are economic opportunities to be explored in Mosul and its region that should allow for future joint projects to flourish."
(With news agencies)
