Trade minister, Iraqi counterpart discuss joint economic zone

AMMAN — Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Maha Al Ali and Iraqi Minister of Industry and Minerals Manhal Aziz Al Khabbaz on Monday chaired an extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly of the Jordanian-Iraqi Industry Company.

Talks during the meeting went over the latest developments related to the joint economic zone, according to a ministry statement carried by the Jordan News Agency, Petra.

The two ministers highlighted the importance of speeding up procedures, with the general assembly mandating the company’s management to proceed with inviting the Requests for Bids (RFB) related to the project’s feasibility study and consulting services.

The general assembly also recommended forming a joint steering committee to follow up on the progress of the project and decided to task the company’s board of directors to draw a three-year work plan.

Established in 1981, the Jordanian-Iraqi Industry Company has investments in both countries, Petra added.

Jordan and Iraq are linked to a number of cooperation agreements in the fields of energy, agriculture, health, education, trade and others. The volume of trade exchange between the two countries last year amounted to JD448.3 million.