Iran: Trade exchange with Iraq increased by 20%

INA - BAGHDAD 

The Iranian Minister of Economic and Financial Affairs, Ehsan Khandozi, announced the growth of trade exchange with Iraq by 20%, affirming his country's support for establishing security in Iraq.

"There are constructive discussions and talks during the work of the joint committee between Baghdad and Tehran in many fields, especially in the fields of trade, industry, transportation, energy, electricity, gas, water, banking and financial affairs. The two sides reached valuable and generous agreements," said Khandozi to the Iraqi News Agency - INA.

He highlighted, saying that "the relations that bind the two sides will remain established and consolidated day after day, despite all the fluctuations that the region and the world are witnessing," pointing out, "The relations go far as long as the Mesopotamian civilization, for we have witnessed since that time constructive cultural, political and economic cooperation between the two countries."

"Iran has worked over the past years to support the establishment of security in Iraq, and we have done our best to stand by the Iraqi people and the government," he noted, explaining that "the two governments in both countries are working to strengthen these relations more and more."

He asserted that, "his country always stresses the need to raise trade cooperation between the two countries, as we witnessed that there was a growth in trade exchange by 20% in the past 11 months compared to last year."

Khandozi expressed his hope that all that was agreed upon between the two countries, and constructive cooperation with the Iraqi government, would be crystallized and embodied.

Earlier in the day, Trade Minister Atheer Daoud Al-Ghurairy announced the details of the meeting of the 5th session of the Iraqi-Iranian joint committee, while referring to the signing of a joint minutes to develop economic relations.

Al-Ghurairy said in a joint press conference with the Minister of Economy and Financial Affairs, Ihsan Khandozi, and was attended by the correspondent of INA, "The meeting of the 5th session of the Iraqi-Iranian committee witnessed the signing of a joint record that included agreement on many matters and understandings that would develop the economic relationship between the two sides and increase economic understandings that serve the two peoples,” noting, “there are many understandings included in the minutes, including the investment side and the free zones side in the field of trade and economic exchange as well as increasing this exchange and the establishment of industrial zones, cooperation in the field of railways, cooperation in the field of water and common borders and cooperation in the field of electricity, oil, financial and banking aspects."