Iraq resumes negotiations to join WTO

INA - BAGHDAD

The Minister of Trade and head of the Iraqi team concerned with joining the World Trade Organization - WTO, Atheer Daoud Al-Ghurairi, announced on Monday, the resumption of negotiations to join WTO, after more than 16 years.

“The Iraqi negotiating teams began their preparatory meetings at WTO headquarters in Geneva, in preparation for the third meeting of the working group for Iraq’s accession,” according to a statement by the ministry quoted the Director General of the Department of Foreign Economic Relations, Riyad Fakher Al-Hashemi - received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA.

Al-Hashemi added, “The first preparatory meeting was held at the organization’s headquarters with the director of the accession department and the organization’s experts in goods, services, and intellectual property, headed by the director general of the Department of Economic Relations and the membership of negotiators representing the Iraqi ministries and the Kurdistan region, to discuss the most important files and documents that Iraq submitted in the previous stage.”

"The third official meeting of the working group, which will be chaired by the Minister of Commerce representing Iraq, will witness a review of the files and documents completed by the national committee concerned with accession. This is the first time that the Iraqi negotiating team has reached this level of experience in the field of negotiation, which reflects the development of their capabilities and competence in dealing with complex issues related to membership WTO," included in the statement.