QNA
Baghdad
Iraqi Government Spokesperson Dr Bassim Al Awadi has stressed the importance of HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani’s official visit to Iraq on Thursday, which comes upon the invitation from Prime Minister of Iraq Mohammed Shia’ Al Sudani.
In his remarks to Qatar News Agency (QNA), Al Awadi said that HH the Amir’s visit represents a fresh start to strengthen the relations between the two fraternal countries and advance them towards broader horizons and coordinate on many regional and international issues of common concern, expressing his hope that this visit will advance trade, economic and investment cooperation in energy and other fields.
He valued Qatar’s support of Iraq, its constant keenness on its stability, and its support of everything that contributes to achieving growth and prosperity for its people.
Regarding the economic, investment, and trade cooperation between the State of Qatar and Iraq, he noted the sixth session of the Joint Qatari-Iraqi Committee for Economic, Trade, and Technical Cooperation held in Doha in December 2018, as the seventh session was scheduled for 2020 but was canceled due to the COVID-19 repercussions and revealed that there is a proposal to hold the seventh session of the committee in early 2024. He said that during the sixth session of the Joint Qatari-Iraqi Committee, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic Institute and Iraq’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Foreign Services Institute to promote cooperation in the field of diplomatic training and related fields. Also, an MoU was signed between the Qatar Chamber and the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce, in addition, an agreement to establish the Qatari-Iraqi Businessmen Council - which held its last meetings in March 2019 - was signed. Currently, the two countries are in discussion about signing an agreement to facilitate and activate trade, cultural, and investment cooperation.
On bilateral cooperation in the oil and gas sector, the Iraqi Government Spokesperson said that there is a desire to enhance Qatari-Iraqi investments in the manufacturing and petrochemical industries, pointing out that Iraq is looking forward to the participation of the State of Qatar in the oil exploration field inside Iraq, in addition to studying plans to open commercial attaches to follow up on projects, MoUs, investment contracts, and trade exchange, as well as the existing cooperation in the field of ports, activating the maritime link, and opening shipping lines.
Dr Bassim Al Awadi expressed the Iraqi government’s aspiration to increase Qatar’s contribution to investment projects in Iraq, especially the Grand Faw Port, indicating that the government hopes that Iraq will turn into a transit country for the trade link between East and West.
Concerning the issue of climate change, the Iraqi Government Spokesperson explained, in conclusion to his remarks to QNA, that climate change is a vital issue for the State of Qatar and Iraq, and there may be joint efforts to work together and develop plans and strategies to combat climate changes affecting the two countries, the region, and the world.