“The Iraqi government and the Ministry of Trade are fully open to developing and improving economic and trade relations with the American side, opening new horizons for joint cooperation in all fields, and joining views between businessmen in both countries,” Iraqi Trade Minister Atheer Daoud Al-Ghurairy said on the dialogue table of the US-Iraq Business Council.
Iraq and the US share strong ties, with Washington leading the global coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS), and assisting Iraqi and Kurdish forces in the fight against the terror group after it swept through swathes of Iraqi land in 2014. There are currently around 2,000 American troops in the country.
Ghurairy said that the ministry “will adopt work to address all issues, observations, and challenges posed by American companies to work inside Iraq” and added that the American Chamber of Commerce will participate in the upcoming Baghdad International Fair.
In the first quarter of 2022, the US imported around $2.6 billion dollars from Iraq and exported $640 million, according to the official US International Trade Statistics.
The Strategic Framework Agreement between the US and Iraq, which went into effect in 2009, seeks to normalize Baghdad-Washington relations through setting long-term bilateral economic, diplomatic, cultural, and security cooperation.
In February, US President Joe Biden affirmed Washington’s support to Baghdad and willingness to endorse Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani’s program to improve the country’s economy in a phone call with the premier.
