Baghdad, Erbil form joint committee to boost Iraqi industry, streamline trade bureaucracy
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi federal government and the autonomous Kurdistan Region agreed on Wednesday to form a joint committee to boost industry and trade across the nation and to simplify communication between the government, workers, and businesses.
The announcement came in a joint press conference held in Erbil by Kurdistan Region Trade Minister Kamal Muslim and visiting Iraqi Minister of Industry Manhal al-Khabaz and his accompanying delegation.
"During the meeting, we discussed industrial development, trademarks, industrial zones and cities, coordination, and cooperation in all fields, and following up on decisions issued by both sides on the subject of protecting the local product," Muslim said during the briefing.
Muslim went on to say, "We decided to form a joint committee and that it would start its work tomorrow,” explaining that the body will also focus on providing recommendations to address any problems between the two sides and avoid their recurrence going forward.
Al-Khabaz, the federal minister from Baghdad, pointed out that the committee will meet once every 60 days and submit its reports to the offices of the two ministers regarding the industrial sector and to also facilitate certificates of incorporation and other paperwork to factories and companies.
He said that the aim of his visit to Erbil was to ensure "cooperation and coordination in the field of trade and industry between the regional government and the federal government."
"We also discussed the protection of local products," al-Khabaz explained, "in addition to establishing commercial and industrial cities as well as benefiting from the region’s experience in investing and attracting foreign companies."
The agenda of the Kurdistan Regional Government's (KRG) ninth cabinet has focused on developing business, providing necessary facilitation for "domestic and foreign" investments, and routing out institutional corruption.
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Editing by John J. Catherine
