Al-Mashat Holds Discussions with Iraqi Minister of Planning

The Minister of International Cooperation Dr. Rania Al-Mashat met with Iraq’s Minister of Planning Khalid Najim, to review the most important developments achieved during the last period to cement bilateral cooperation between both countries.

In addition, the latest developments were reviewed in light of the tripartite cooperation between Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq.

At the beginning of the meeting, Al-Mashat welcomed the Iraqi Minister and his accompanying delegation on their visit to Egypt, stressing the interest political leadership attaches to bilateral cooperation between both countries.

Later, the meeting discussed the tripartite cooperation between Egypt, Iraq, and Jordan, so as to implement previously agreed upon decisions.

Al-Mashat also applauded the level of cooperation that exists between the three countries, and emphasized looking forward to broader prospects of integration and cooperation to serve the interests of Egypt, Iraq and Jordan.

Al-Mashat shed light on the boom of infrastructure projects across several areas including, transportation, housing and new cities, that took place in Egypt in the last few years.

She also touched on the presidential summits between the three countries which identified a set of important projects, to maximize common benefits and to contribute to achieving economic development, including the electrical linkage project.

The Minister of International Cooperation also stressed the political leadership’s commitment to ensuring smooth cooperation between Egypt and Iraq in achieving strategic integration at the economic, commercial and investment levels.

Al-Mashat also indicated that the Ministry of International Cooperation seeks to ensure thorough follow-up on the Joint Higher Committees and its outcomes for successful implementation.

On his part, the Iraqi minister said that his visit to Cairo comes within the framework of following up on the prospects of cooperation between Egypt and Iraq, noting that there are many joint projects, including those related to electricity, pharmaceutical industries, agriculture, construction, and housing.

Najim applauded the unique experience Egypt has witnessed in construction and roads, expressing Iraq’s aspiration to strengthen bilateral relations with Egypt in various fields, to achieve economic integration, to benefit from successful experiences, and to implement agreed upon outcomes from the Joint Higher Committees.

The Iraqi minister explained that the 7 signed documents have entered into implementation in several areas, including exhibitions, industrial cooperation,pricing policy, consumer protection, water resources, irrigation, and petroleum.

In October last year, an Egyptian-Iraqi Joint Higher Committee was held. This was the first committee meeting since 1989, when the agreement to establish the committee was signed in 1988. This was followed by two committee meetings in 1988 and 1989.