Iraq and World Bank discuss dealing with the financial crisis impacts

 INA - Baghdad

Minister of Planning Khaled Battal Al-Najem discussed with the World Bank mission, ways to enhance national efforts to confront Coronavirus pandemic and the financial crisis.

A statement of the department received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) stated that "the Minister of Planning received the resident representative of the World Bank in Iraq, Ramzi Numan and his accompanying delegation."

The two sides discussed, according to the statement, a number of issues of common concern, ways to enhance national efforts to confront the emerging Corona virus pandemic, and ways to address the effects of the current financial crisis in Iraq, due to low oil prices.

Battal appreciated the level of support provided by the World Bank mission to the efforts of the Iraqi government, calling for a review of the structure of support provided to Iraq according to the priorities of the current health and economic conditions.

He explained that "measures adopted by the Ministry to mitigate these consequences at the immediate and medium levels, and to present a reform plan to address the future repercussions that the crisis will exert, represented by the high rates of poverty and unemployment, as a result of the economic downturn, the decline in growth rates, and the decline in gross domestic product."

For his part, Ramzi Noman expressed the mission's readiness to provide all kinds of rapid and possible support that Iraq needs to face the current conditions, praising at the same time the measures taken by the Ministry of Planning to face the repercussions of the crisis and contribute to protecting fragile society segments and the perpetuation of the wheel of life.