In continuation of efforts to develop joint Egyptian-Iraqi relations, in implementation of the directives of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, preparatory meetings at the expert level for the second session of the Egyptian-Iraqi joint committee, headed by the Ministry of International Cooperation from the Egyptian side, and the Ministry of Trade from the Iraqi side, starts today in Cairo.
Expert meetings are held on the 10th and 11th of June, before the preparatory meetings take place at the ministerial level, chaired by the Minister of International Cooperation, H.E. Dr. Rania A. Al-Mashat and Iraqi Minister of Trade H.E. Dr. Atheer Al-Ghurairy. This is followed by the convening of the joint higher committee chaired by the prime ministers of the two countries, which witnesses the signing of joint cooperation documents.
Experts from the Egyptian and Iraqi sides will discuss files of joint cooperation in various fields to enhance joint development efforts, stimulate relations between the private sector to support development efforts, and expand the scope of cooperation in the economics, trade and investment fields, all working towards improving bilateral relations and activate joint Arab action and overcome the challenges facing development efforts in Arab countries.
On the Egyptian side, representatives of more than 40 relevant entities are participating, including representatives of the Ministries of Social Solidarity, Housing, Health and Population, Youth and Sports, Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Electricity and Renewable Energy, Higher Education and Scientific Research, Education and Technical Education, Defense and Military Production, Justice, Economic Planning and Development, Supply and Internal trade, the Public sector, Trade and Industry, Transport, Civil Aviation, Immigration and Affairs of Egyptians abroad, Manpower, Culture, Communications and Information Technology, Water Resources and Irrigation, Agriculture and Land Reclamation, Local Development, and the Environment, along with representatives of The Egyptian Federation of Construction and Building Contractors, the Federation of Industries, the General Federation of Chambers of Commerce, the Egyptian Businessmen Association, the Egyptian Federation of Investors Associations, the Supreme Council for Media Regulation, the National Academy for Training, the National Authority for Social Insurance, the Central Agency for Organization and Administration, the Egyptian Medicines Authority, and the General Authority for Investment Free Zones, the Financial Regulatory Authority, the Egyptian Stock Exchange, the Central Bank, the Consumer Protection Agency, the National Food Safety Authority, the Arab Organization for Industrialization, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, and the National Planning Institute.
On the Iraqi side, representatives of the Ministries of Trade, Culture, Tourism and Antiquities, Foreign Affairs, Defense, Finance, Oil, Planning, Industry and Minerals, Electricity, Construction and Housing, Water Resources, Youth and Sports, Agriculture, Environment, Transport, Tourism, Agriculture, Immigration, in addition to the Border Ports Authority, the Central Bank of Iraq, the Tourism Authority, the Federal Public Service Council, the Iraq Stock Exchange, the Iraqi Media Network, the Civil Aviation Authority, and other concerned parties.
The second session follows the successful convening of the first session -which was held in October 2020- the first in nearly 30 years and witnessed the signing of 15 joint cooperation documents in the fields of planning, investment, stock exchange, maritime transport, roads and bridges, water resources, irrigation, housing, environment, justice, health, anti-dumping, consumer protection, and the Federation of Industries and Cooperation. It also witnessed the holding of an economic and commercial forum with the participation of the heads of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, the private sector and the concerned authorities from both sides.
It is worth noting that the agreement to establish the Egyptian-Iraqi Joint Higher Committee was signed in July 1988, and it represents an important mechanism of economic cooperation between the two countries to coordinate joint cooperation frameworks in all fields.
The joint committees are one of the mechanisms through which the Ministry of International Cooperation utilizes, in light of the role assigned to it, to develop economic relations with many brotherly and friendly countries, as they are held periodically with the aim of discussing ways to advance and develop bilateral relations in various fields and remove obstacles, as well as support the legal frameworks that will enhance economic, scientific and technical relations periodically.
The year 2022 witnessed the convening of the Joint Higher Committee between the Arab Republic of Egypt and three brotherly Arab countries; Jordan, Tunisia and Algeria, within the framework of developing and strengthening bilateral relations and joint development efforts, in addition to the convening of the Joint Committee for Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation between Egypt and Azerbaijan, along with an agreement to revive the Egyptian-Polish Joint Committee, and the Egyptian-Sudanese Land Ports Committee and the Egyptian-Hungarian Joint Economic Committee.
The Ministry of International Cooperation supervises 68 committees between Egypt and countries from different continents of the world, including 8 Asian committees, 30 European committees, 14 committees with Arab countries, 9 African committees, and 7 committees with Latin American countries.