The trade and industry ministers of Egypt, Jordan and Iraq have agreed to kick off practical steps to achieve industrial and trade integration.
During a virtual meeting on Thursday, the ministers agreed to dispatch an Egyptian technical team to Iraq, with the participation of the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad, to inquire about the needs of the Iraqi market and discuss investment opportunities.
The meeting was held by Egyptian Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamea, her Jordanian counterpart Maha Ali, Iraqi Minister of Industry and Minerals Manhal Aziz al-Khabbaz, and officials from the Egyptian industry ministry.
The meeting was held after a visit carried out by the Jordanian and Iraqi ministers to Egypt earlier this month, said Gamea. During their visit, they stressed the importance of boosting economic, trade and investment cooperation and integration between their countries through the implementation of a number of joint projects, especially in the industrial and commercial fields.
Gamea noted that the targeted sectors of joint cooperation include pharmaceutical, chemical, petrochemical, leather, and ceramics industries. They also discussed the possibility of setting up a permanent exhibition for Egyptian and Jordanian products in the Iraqi capital.
The meeting also reviewed ways of employing Egyptian industrial expertise in the construction of industrial zones and complexes in the economic city on the borders between Iraq and Jordan.
For her part, Ali emphasized the importance of creating an electronic link between the customs agencies of Iraq, Egypt and Jordan to facilitate trade exchange between them.
Khabbaz said Iraq was keen on opening up to the Egyptian and Jordanian markets and kicking off immediate steps to achieve economic integration, amid the Baghdad government’s aspiration to restore its strong economic relations with all partners, especially on the regional and Arab levels.
