Iraq proposes an economic bloc includes Turkey and Iran

INA - BAGHDAD

Iraq submitted a proposal to establish an economic bloc with Turkey and Iran, as to facilitate the process of granting entry visas to Iraqis, during the work of the Iraqi-Turkish Business Forum for Investment and Contracting currently held in Istanbul.

“Iraqi-Turkish Business Forum for Investment and Contracting is being held in the presence of the Iraqi public and private sectors, as the message of the Iraqi delegation in it was that a regional economic bloc must be formed and includes Iraq, Turkey and Iran to become a regional power that allows it to compete with economic groupings around the world,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of Commerce, Muhammad Hanoun, to Al-Iraqiya News TV, and it was followed by the Iraqi News Agency (INA), on Saturday.

Hanoun added that the Iraqi delegation presented investment opportunities in the fields of agriculture and health, as well as asked “to allow Iraqi banks to open branches in Turkey, and stressed the importance of the entry of Turkish companies to invest in Iraq and address the water problem,”

He explained that the private sector during the conference raised the problem of water and impoverishment of the central and southern governorates due to scarcity, which caused the deterioration of the agricultural sector and the reduction of the agricultural plan by 50%.

“The Iraqi delegation also stressed the need to provide facilities to Iraqi investors in Turkey and to allow the entry of sick cases for a maximum period of 48 hours, as well as the request from Ankara to grant Iraqi investors a multiple visa that lasts 4-5 years,” he included.

He pointed out that "the Turkish side promised the Iraqi delegation goodness regarding 10 important points, especially facilitating the procedures for granting entry visas to Iraqis,”

“The trade exchange between Iraq and Turkey reached 21 billion dollars annually in the last year, and it is the second country in terms of exports to Iraq after China,” said Hanoun.

He expressed his belief that "this high-value exchange requires the Turkish side to assist Iraq in the areas where files are required to be resolved and to adopt a credibility approach in implementing promises,”

A request had been submitted to open two new ports with Turkey to facilitate the process of exchanging goods and trade, according to Hanoun.