clear

Creating new perspectives since 2009

Iraq: Foreign Ministry denies minister made statement to Israeli media regarding hostage

January 25, 2025 at 10:29 am

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Fuad Hussein speaks during press conference following his meeting on Syria in Aqaba, Jordan, on December 14, 2024 [Arda Küçükkaya – Anadolu Agency]

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry denied that its Minister Fuad Hussein made any statements to Israeli journalist Barak Ravid about the fate of researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who is being held in Iraq.

This was conveyed in a statement published by the Iraqi News Agency on Thursday evening after Ravid posted on X about the fate of the Israeli researcher, who has been held by an armed Iraqi group for over a year and a half.

Ravid posted: “Iraqi foreign minister Fuad Hussein told me in Davos that Princeton researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who has been held hostage by an Iraqi militia, is alive and stressed Prime Minister Sudani is working for her release.”

In an official response, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry confirmed it: “Categorically denies what has been circulated regarding a statement attributed to Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mr Fuad Hussein to a correspondent of a television channel.”

“The Ministry confirms that the Minister during attending the Panel Discussion organised by the well-known international channel (CNN), in which the Foreign Ministers of Jordan, Syria, France, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of Palestine participated, did not make any statement to any media correspondent,” it added.

The statement went on to say: “The Ministry clarifies that after the end of the panel discussion, one of the audience approached the Minister and asked a question regarding the kidnapped woman (her name was mentioned), and the Minister responded as follows: ‘The Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia’ Al-Sudani, is making great efforts to release her,’ then he asked another question regarding whether the kidnapped woman is still alive, and the response to the question was affirmative.”

The Iraqi Foreign Ministry indicated: “It’s important to note that the person who asked the questions did not identify himself as a media person but was one of the participants from the audience present in the room.”

It concluded: “Accordingly, the Ministry confirms that what has been reported regarding the Minister’s statement to Channel 1 News is completely unfounded.”

Iraq does not have diplomatic relations with Israel, nor does it recognise its existence.

On 5 July, 2023, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said that an Israeli researcher had been kidnapped in Iraq by a Shia militia.

The office explained, in a statement broadcasted by the Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation, Kan: “An Israeli-Russian academic who went missing in Iraq a few months ago is alive and being held there by the Shia militia Kataib Hezbollah.”

Two days later, Iraqi authorities officially announced its investigation into the kidnapping of an Israeli researcher who entered the country on a Russian passport in early March.

Iraqi government spokesperson Bassem Al-Awadi confirmed that the government was “awaiting the results of the investigation” without providing further details.

READ: Iraq plans to increase electricity imports from neighbouring countries