The Minister of Trade, Atheer Al-Ghurairy, affirmed today, Wednesday, the government's full openness to developing economic and trade relations with Washington.

A statement from the Ministry of Trade stated: "The Minister of Trade, Atheer Al-Ghurairy, and his accompanying delegation, arrived in Washington last night, at the invitation of the American Wheat Council, to discuss mechanisms for joint cooperation between the two parties with regard to supplies of American wheat to Iraq."

The statement added that Al-Ghurairy visited the American Chamber of Commerce in Washington, and participated in the dialogue table of the Iraqi-American Business Council, to discuss prospects for joint economic and commercial cooperation between Iraq and the United States of America, and the challenges facing the work of American companies in Iraq.

On the Iraqi side, the meeting was attended by the Director General of the Department of Economic Relations, Riyad Fakher Al Hashemi, the Director General of the Legal Department, Farah Hikmat, the Iraqi Chargé d'Affairs and the Commercial Attache in Washington, and on the American side, the President of the American Chamber of Commerce, Steve Luits, and representatives of a number of American companies.

Al-Ghurairy said, during the dialogue table: "The Iraqi government and the Ministry of Trade are fully open to developing economic and trade relations with the American side, opening new horizons for joint cooperation in all fields, and converging views between businessmen in both countries."

He stressed, at the same time, that he would adopt the work to address all issues, observations and challenges posed by the American companies to work inside Iraq with the competent Iraqi authorities.

The Minister of Trade indicated the importance of the presence of the American Chamber of Commerce and companies to participate in the upcoming Baghdad International Fair, to be held in November.

Source: National Iraqi News Agency