Iraq Discusses To Accelerate Its Accession To The WHO

Baghdad / NINA / - The Minister of Trade, Atheer Al-Ghurairy, met in his office today, Wednesday, with experts of the United Nations Trade Center, the World Trade Organization (WTO), representatives of the World Food Program and the European Union, to discuss a formula for joint action to support the process of Iraq's accession to the World Trade Organization.

During the meeting, Minister Al-Ghurairy stressed, according to a statement by the ministry, the government's keenness, within its program, to communicate with the countries of the world and discreet international organizations to benefit from its expertise in developing the Iraqi economy, which moved after 2003 to a market economy, through support and attribution with its expertise to take a practical step in this aspect.

He stressed, "Iraq needs to diversify its economy in a flexible manner, such as the agricultural, industrial and investment sectors, and that Iraq's accession to the World Trade Organization be useful as one of the tools for building a market economy within the standards of the global market and a tool for achieving reforms and decisions to implement these measures."

He pointed out that the ministry is responsible for the internal and external economic policy and continues to work with steps and programs to implement this within its ministerial program and at the specified times.

For their part, the WHO's experts reviewed their work in assisting countries in economic policies, with a focus on business and countries joining the WTO, and indicated that they have been working in Iraq for three years, with the aim of strengthening trade policy in Iraq and developing the institutional capabilities of the relevant ministries, as the work was with the Ministry of Trade fruitful and advanced in this aspect.

According to the statement, during the meeting, views were exchanged on the possibilities of support that the center will provide to Iraq with a diagnosis of challenges and work to support Iraq's accession to the World Trade Organization by providing technical and legal advice and supporting trade policies to align with international standards. / End