Minister of Industry and his Iraqi counterpart discuss establishing partnerships and industrial integration between Syria and Iraq

Minister of Industry Ziad Subhi Sabbagh and his Iraqi counterpart Manhal Aziz Khabbaz discussed ways to improve economic and industrial relations and establish partnerships to boost the industrial sector in Syria and Iraq in a way that achieves industrial integration between the two countries and benefits the two brotherly peoples.

During a meeting with the Iraqi Minister and the accompanying delegation in Damascus on Wednesday, Minister Sabbagh stressed  the deep brotherly relationship between Syria and Iraq. He underlined  the need to develop industrial cooperation. The industrial sector in the two countries has been subjected to systematic destruction, which requires solidarity and coordination for pushing forward the wheel of production to meet the needs of the peoples of various commodities.

Minister Sabbagh called on his Iraqi counterpart to work with the ministries and concerned authorities in Iraq to overcome the difficulties facing the export of Syrian products and their availability in the Iraqi markets.

For his part, the Iraqi Minister of Industry considered that the visit aims at finding consensual formulas for all the issues raised, strengthening joint industry, expanding trade exchange between the two countries, and finding a working mechanism so that there is real integration between Syria and Iraq and the settlement of a real industry in the two countries.

The Iraqi Minister indicated that because of the war, most of the factories in Iraq, especially pharmaceutical and textiles one, stopped. He called on Syrian businessmen and industrialists to work on establishing partnerships with their Iraqi counterparts and benefiting from Syrian experiences in the fields of manufacturing and training cadres for the advancement of the Iraqi industrial sector and the establishment of joint factories in light of the availability of raw materials in Iraq.

Head of the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Industry, Eng. Faris Al-Shihabi, expressed the willingness of Syrian industrialists to work and cooperate with their Iraqi counterparts, to provide Iraq with Syrian products of high quality, to establish partnerships, to transfer Syrian expertise and experiences in various fields, and to establish a common market through which Syrian and Iraqi goods flow easily .

Head of Damascus Chamber of Industry and its countryside, Samer al-Dibs, pointed to the common desire of Syrian and Iraqi businessmen and industrialists to establish industrial and commercial companies between the two countries, proposing the establishment of joint industrial zones in Syria and Iraq.

Head of the Homs Chamber of Industry Labib Al-Ikhwan  pointed out that the situation in the two countries is getting better, which reinforces heading towards the establishment of joint investments.

 “We have 57,000 factories in Iraq, most of them are halted, so we need Syrian expertise to re-operate them. We are ready to provide all the necessary facilities,” Head of the Iraqi Federation of Industries, Adel Akab Al-Hussein, said,  pointing out that there are many incentives to invest in the Iraqi industrial cities.”

Advisor to the Iraqi Minister of Industry for Development Affairs, Caesar Ahmar Akla, pointed to the legislative environment for investment in Iraq, which includes many incentives, facilities, and exemptions.

The two delegations agreed to form workshops and specialized committees from both sides in each field in order to reach fruitful results during the days of the visit.

The visit of the Iraqi Minister of Industry and the accompanying delegation continues for several days. It will include meetings with ministers and chambers of industry in Damascus and Aleppo, and visits to public and private industrial facilities in Damascus and its countryside, Homs and Aleppo. It will be concluded with the signing of the transcription of the joint meeting by the ministers of industry in the two countries.

Inas Abdulkareem