Syrian- Iraqi Industrialists to Establish Joint Companies and Enhance Trade Cooperation

DAMASCUS, (ST) – Chairman of Damascus Chamber of Commerce and Industry Samer Al-Debs and members of the chamber discussed here on Thursday with the President of the Federation of Iraqi Industries Ali Sabeeh Al-Sa’idi and the accompanying delegation ways to develop cooperation between the two sides and facilitate the flow of Syrian industrial exports to the Iraqi market.

Mr. Al-Debs confirmed the importance of enhancing trade and industrial cooperation between Syria and Iraq, saying that the Iraqi market is “the strategic depth of the Syrian industry” that requires the two sides to develop this cooperation through trade and industrial partnerships and increase Syrian exports to Iraq.

 For his part, the Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chamber, Mohammed Kamel Sahar, discussed  the possibility of establishing companies and cooperation between the Syrian and Iraqi sides or the process of ” a bargain” through the import of the needs of primary industries of diesel and oil and the export of Syrian industrial products with high quality specifications to Iraq, after conducting studies and to agree on conditions which suits the parties, especially since Syrian industrialists have a long history of cooperation with the Iraqi market.

He called on a number of members of the Board of Directors of the Chamber to give Syrian products preferential features and provide facilities and overcome all obstacles to trade and industrial cooperation between the two countries to restore this cooperation to its past days.

For his part, Mr. Al-Sa’idi, who is visiting the Damascus International Fair heading an Iraqi businessmen delegation, said that what the delegations saw at the Fair conveyed a message to all the world that the Syrian state is strong and that the Syrian industry, which Iraqis know well, has returned to recovery and is still maintaining its quality and specifications, pointing out to the importance of establishing partnerships between industrialists in both countries and benefiting from the advantages granted to establish factories in Iraq. He called on Syrian businessmen to visit Iraq and establish an exhibition for Syrian industries there to discover investment and commercial opportunities and to deepen cooperation.

For his part, said member of the Iraqi delegation Fouad Khafaji: “The visit to the Damascus International Fair gave us the opportunity to learn about the volume of development in Syrian industries, especially textile, an opportunity of contracts with companies and destinations of Syria to export food and other items to Iraq.

The two sides agreed to prepare a set of recommendations to be submitted to the governments of the two countries in order to facilitate industrial and commercial cooperation and take appropriate decisions in this regard.

Sh. al-Khatib