The Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Maria Tripodi, carried out a mission in Baghdad focused on growth diplomacy.
This morning, she held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Trade, Atheer Daoud Al-Ghurairi, centred on strengthening the economic and trade partnership. The fruitful discussion focused on increasing the involvement of Italian companies in strategic sectors crucial to the country’s reconstruction and modernisation, including energy, mineral resource extraction, water resource management, pharmaceuticals, agribusiness, telecommunications, infrastructure development, and transport.
Following this, the Undersecretary met with the Deputy Minister for Bilateral Relations, Mohammed Hussein Bahr Al Uloom. During the cordial exchange, the two officials discussed the excellent political relations between the countries, the crisis in Gaza, and the transition process in Syria. “Iraq is a key partner with whom we aim to further intensify political dialogue and cooperation, including in the field of defence, in support of its prosperity,” Tripodi stated. The Undersecretary stressed the importance of safeguarding freedoms for all religious minorities in the country and expressed appreciation for Iraq’s growing stability, in the wake of the recent Arab League Summit.
Later in the day, the Undersecretary also met with the President of the Federation of Iraqi Industries and the President of the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce, Abdel Razzak El-Zouhairy. “The Italian Government is working to enhance trade opportunities between Italy and Iraq,” she noted, recalling that, among various initiatives to support exports and investment, SACE signed an innovative agreement last year with the Trade Bank of Iraq, facilitating €1 billion in export credit.
Before departing, Tripodi visited the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Centre (BDSC), delivering greetings from the Italian Government to the Italian military contingent.
