Qatar, Iraq discuss ways to strengthen economic and trade ties

HE Sheik Mohamed bin Hamad bin Qassim al-Thani, Minister of Commerce and Industry, and Iraqi Minister of Commerce Atheer Daoud Salman al-Ghurairi co-chaired the seventh session of the Qatar-Iraq Joint Committee on Economic and Trade Cooperation, held in Baghdad on July 7-8. The session reflected the mutual commitment to strengthen bilateral cooperation, develop economic partnerships and improve joint mechanisms between the two sides.

In his opening speech, HE Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad praised the strong brotherly relations between Qatar and Iraq, noting that these relations act as a catalyst to strengthen and deepen economic, trade and investment cooperation.

He highlighted the deep-rooted historical ties of mutual trust and fruitful cooperation between Qatar and Iraq that have evolved over the years. These ties provide a basis for developing and diversifying promising bilateral cooperation in key development sectors, taking into account the distinctive capabilities and strategic and economic similarities that divide the two countries.

The commission meeting highlighted the economic potential and promising investment environment in both countries, which creates significant opportunities for the Qatari and Iraqi private sectors to build partnerships.

Discussions focused on the significant investment opportunities available between Qatar and Iraq, covering key sectors such as industry, infrastructure, renewable energy projects, digital transformation, financial and logistics services, as well as other sectors where cooperation can strengthen relations and increase trade volumes.

At the end of the seventh session of the Qatari-Iraqi committee, a joint report was signed outlining the areas of cooperation. These included trade, industry, investment, free zones, private sector, energy, finance, taxation, customs, transport, civil aviation, telecommunications, information technology, construction, public housing, municipalities, infrastructure, agriculture, water resources, education, higher education, scientific research, health, environment, culture, youth, sports, labor, social welfare and justice.