By John Lee.
On Sunday, the President of the Republic of Iraq, Abdullatif Jamal Rashid met with the Saudi Commerce Minister and Head of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, Majid al-Qasabi alongside a group of Saudi businessmen.
At the meeting, President Rashid urged Saudi businessmen to invest in Iraq, assuring government support and facilities for investors.
Full statement from the Iraqi President's office:
Iraq President Meets Saudi Commerce Minister and a Group of Businessmen
On Sunday, November 12, 2023, the President of the Republic of Iraq, Abdullatif Jamal Rashid met with the Saudi Commerce Minister and Head of the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, Majid al-Qasabi alongside a group of Saudi businessmen.
At the meeting, President Rashid stressed the importance of collaborating and coordinating between Iraq and Saudi Arabia in the fields of commerce, economics, industries, energy, and the environment, taking advantage of both countries' expertise, experiences, and capabilities.
According to the President, the two countries have deep relations, and the two peoples share many religious, national, social, and cultural ties, praising the role Saudi Arabia plays in the region and keeping pace with the development and progress taking place around the world.
In his remarks, His Excellency reviewed the complex and difficult circumstances that Iraq has experienced over the past several years, including wars, sanctions, and terrorism, as well as the tremendous impact they have had on infrastructure and services. Additionally, he noted that the country is experiencing a different reality today in terms of security, stability, and service provision, in addition to the launch of strategic and investment projects.
The President stated that the recent elections resulted in the formation of a government that represents all the Iraqis, and that this government developed a comprehensive program that placed security and stability as one of its top priorities. Today, the government is also actively engaged in combating and curbing corruption as well as advancing its reform agenda.
Additionally, Saudi businessmen have been urged by His Excellency to invest in Iraq and enter the Iraqi market, pointing out that the government is determined to provide facilities for investors and businessmen to encourage them to do so.
As the Saudi Minister of Commerce pointed out, the Iraqi and Saudi people share a great deal of cultural and historical ties that bind them together, the Kingdom is keen on maintaining and developing relations between them, and expanding horizons of cooperation for the common benefit of both countries.
Saudi Arabian businessmen are making unrelenting efforts to overcome some of the measures through the Saudi-Iraqi Coordination Council, according to Minister al-Qasabi. Also, he confirmed that Iraqi and Saudi businessmen are in touch and meet regularly for the purpose of enhancing cooperation, and expressed a desire to expand trade exchanges and build a genuine partnership that would benefit both nations' growth and progress.
The Iraqi Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Ms. Safia Al-Suhail, expressed gratitude to His Excellency the President for the meeting and his keenness and interest in developing commonalities between the two countries. Moreover, she said that Iraqi-Saudi relations have witnessed a tangible improvement, reflecting both countries' serious desires to build relations of distinction that benefit both brotherly peoples and those living in the region.
Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Fuad Hussein, and Member of Iraqi Parliament, Mr. Jabbar Freih al-Kinani attended the meeting.
(Source: presidency.iq)
Comments are closed.