Baghdad The Minister of Industry and Minerals, Khaled Battal, discussed today, Thursday, with the Jordanian Ministers of Industry and Energy, 7 files for joint cooperation, the most important of which are the Economic City, Medicines and Phosphates.
The Ministry of Industry said in a statement: “The Minister of Industry and Minerals, Khaled Battal, held today an official discussion session with the Jordanian Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply, Youssef Al-Shamali, and the Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Saleh Kharabsheh, in the presence of the scientific advisor to the ministry and the head of the Arab Department in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The most important of them:
Joint Economic City: Agreement to proceed with the project according to the timetable of the importance of the city in terms of social, economic and security aspects.
Phosphates: Emphasizing that minerals and phosphates are the future of the two countries, and a joint action mechanism must be put in place to invest wealth. This file will be discussed in a broader manner after being studied by technicians.
Nineveh Pharmaceutical Factory: Emphasizing that the pharmaceutical industries in Iraq are of exceptional importance to the increasing demand and consumption of medicines and the need for new types of medicines, especially cancer medicines. The investment contract signed between the Samarra Pharmaceutical Company and the Jordanian Ghiath Sakhtian Company was discussed, and it was agreed to hold joint meetings to bring points of view closer and reach final solutions to restore the work movement in the Nineveh Pharmaceutical Factory.
The tripartite coordinating council: indicating that the council is in the process of being formed from the Iraqi side, and the Jordanian side will be informed after the formation of the council to hold the first meeting in Baghdad.
The bilateral cooperation protocol signed between the two countries: stressing the need to develop some common ideas and that Iraqi industrial companies are open to any governmental cooperation or with investors in light of the facilities and privileges provided with regard to tax and customs exemptions.
Silicon: indicating that the world is moving towards technology and digitization, and this is based on silicon, and emphasizing that Iraq possesses many raw materials that have not been exploited, and that it is possible to reach a real partnership between the two parties in the field of mineral wealth investment.
Industrial Integration: Referring to the plan submitted by the Jordanian side and requesting the Iraqi side to study this plan and add to it, while confirming the Jordanian side’s readiness to cooperate and achieve integration in some industries.
Battal stressed, according to the statement, “the endeavor to develop and strengthen relations between Iraq and Jordan in a way that serves the interests of the two brotherly countries,” noting that “coordination will take place with the ministries to identify and prepare the files that will be discussed during the meeting of the Iraqi-Jordanian joint committee that will be held in the next few months with the identification of officials who must be present during the meeting.
He explained that “there is clear progress in work on the joint economic city project, where the referral has been made to the consulting office to prepare designs, in addition to ongoing work in other aspects related to the project.”
For his part, Jordanian Minister of Industry Youssef Al-Shamali affirmed that “the relationship between Iraq and Jordan is complementary and serves common interests,” stressing that “the economic city will contribute to the employment of the people of the region, and the Iraqi and Jordanian industries will be stationed in it.”
Al-Shamali expressed his hope that “the joint committee will hold its work in Iraq to discuss cooperation in all fields, in addition to ripening and reviving work within the tripartite framework between Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.”
In turn, the Jordanian Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Saleh Kharabsheh, indicated that “Iraq and Jordan have a historical and geographical extension in the matter of minerals,” pointing to “the need to exchange experiences between the two countries and the possibility of cooperation in the field of mineral wealth investment, and there are preliminary studies on the issue of phosphate and strategic projects that Serve the two countries.”
Source: National Iraqi News Agency
