Foreign Ministry: Investigative measures have been taken regarding citizens trafficking

 Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had taken investigative measures regarding the smuggling of citizens and their fate. 

A statement by the ministry, stated that it is "following with interest the issue of Iraqi immigrants and the risks, which were and still are a target for smuggling and human trafficking networks, in a way that may cause consequences for the security and lives of individuals, and we renew the call for Iraqi citizens take care to fall into a trap with these groups, we point out that the Iraqi government has taken a set of measures that would limit the exploitation of travelers to a number of countries.  

The statement added, "Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein received today several calls from EU High Representative for Policy and Security Josep Borrell, Gabrielius Landsbergis, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania, and Edgar Rinkevich, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia.  

Hussein stressed, according to the statement during the contacts, that "Iraqi laws promise freedom of travel for the Iraqi citizen, but human trafficking and the dangers of expanding smuggling networks, and its reflection on the security of Iraqi travelers, are classified as criminal acts.  

 He referred to the measures recently taken by the government to protect Iraqi citizens who were victims of smuggling networks, including the temporary suspension of travel to Belarus and the continuation of return flights from there to Baghdad, and that investigative measures were taken regarding the smuggling of citizens and placing them in an unknown fate.