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00:00 Our guest today is Mr. Thir Dawood Al-Ghreeli, the Iraqi Minister of Trade.
00:05 Mr. Thir, welcome to CNBC Arab.
00:08 Thank you.
00:09 Let's start with the performance of Iraqi trade in 2023.
00:14 We know that Iraq is a country that exports oil.
00:18 Tell us about the size of the trade and exports.
00:23 Thank you.
00:26 After the establishment of this government,
00:30 a government program was put in place with ambitious plans
00:34 to increase and increase interest in non-oil exports and not oil.
00:39 The world is now facing the need to gradually give up on fossil fuels.
00:44 Iraq has imposed economic reforms and has raised them to the parliament
00:50 to be adopted as economic legislation reforms.
00:54 This is the first.
00:56 The second is the opening of relations with all the Arab countries.
01:04 The signing of important joint committees and agreements.
01:08 During the past year, more than 12 to 13 joint committees were signed
01:14 between many countries.
01:17 This is a legal framework to increase understanding
01:20 and open the borders of cooperation in various sectors.
01:23 The first is the establishment of a government
01:26 that is very concerned about the private sector
01:29 and that the private sector is the basis and pillar of the economy.
01:36 The second is the government to support the industrial sector
01:42 to gradually return to the Iraqi industries that it was a pioneer in.
01:46 In our real website, non-oil Iraqi industries
01:53 have started to grow and enter the markets.
02:00 We are currently saying to the neighboring countries.
02:03 The size of the Iraqi industries at the moment and non-oil industries,
02:07 what is the target in 2014?
02:10 We said at the beginning that we need some industries
02:16 that have reached the stage of self-sufficiency and then the stage of export.
02:20 Iraq has been an exceptional period.
02:24 We try through our relations with many countries
02:29 to reduce obstacles and difficulties in achieving our business, and vice versa.
02:34 Increasing trade exchange and also the interest in geographical distribution
02:38 and the variety of products.
02:41 Because Iraq is currently suffering from a lack of balance in the production structure
02:51 of imports, depending on countries and not on other countries.
02:55 And we should not take advantage of this as an economic diplomacy.
02:58 We see that the trade between Iraq and other countries reaches more than 10 billion dollars.
03:05 And with other countries, it is a strong economy,
03:09 it does not exceed a billion or less than a billion.
03:12 Which are the biggest countries that you trade with?
03:16 The biggest trade is with Turkey and Iran.
03:19 Although there are many countries that are actually an opponent to Iraq,
03:24 they are capable and their weapons are very advanced.
03:30 And the Iraqi market is very interested in these weapons.
03:38 But there are obstacles that were placed through random decisions.
03:43 Through the programs and plans that were put,
03:48 gradually began through the signing of the memorandums of understanding,
03:52 and the joint committees, and also the direct evidence of obstacles
03:56 and the contract of the business councils between these countries.
03:59 Let me ask you, as you are talking about cooperation with Arab countries and neighboring countries.
04:04 Maybe there is an agreement to export electricity from Egypt, then Lebanon and Iraq,
04:10 and what are the details of this agreement to export electricity?
04:13 I do not have the details of the agreement, but we are serious and we started with the final steps
04:18 between Iraq, Jordan and Egypt.
04:20 These cooperatives are working.
04:23 This is one level of cooperation.
04:26 The cooperation on the two fronts has been opened.
04:29 Iraq is a big market today.
04:32 Many countries invited us and there were positive results during the Baghdad exhibition.
04:38 More than 520 agreements were signed and the memorandum of understanding was signed.
04:46 This is the beginning.
04:48 After sending Iraq positive messages,
04:51 the real stability that Iraq is currently experiencing,
04:56 economic reform and improving the working environment,
04:59 are messages that will encourage the capital and investors to enter the Iraqi market.
05:04 You were at the Baghdad exhibition.
05:06 You talked about wheat and what Iraq needs from wheat in the coming period or in 2024.
05:13 Tell us more about this and about the import of wheat expected in 2024.
05:19 The import of wheat is due to the size of the production of this strategic product.
05:27 But we say that Iraq in the past year has achieved self-sufficiency and has increased.
05:34 We hope and expect that the production of wheat this year will be the same or more.
05:43 Iraq has suffered a great loss in the past years and is compensated through imports.
05:51 Australia, Canada and the United States.
05:55 But in the past year we have never had to import.
05:58 At the beginning of the government's formation, yes, we had to cut the loss.
06:02 Until now, the strategic wheat has been secured and food security for this important product
06:07 and also for the rest of the basic products.
06:10 This is enough for more than six months.
06:13 What is the size of production in Iraq in general?
06:17 It has reached 5,250,000.
06:20 The target of Fandem in 2024 is the level of Iraqi trade in general.
06:27 What is the target? Tell us more about the target.
06:30 The target is a real plan.
06:33 We cannot measure it with numbers, but at the level of domestic and foreign trade,
06:40 we have set targets to be distributed and changed.
06:46 There will be a change in the distribution of products and also in the geographical focus.
06:56 Because our estimation of the future plans is negative.
07:05 We are working to have a real geographical distribution that serves Iraq and the countries it deals with.
07:13 How did the red sea floods affect Iraqi trade, both at the level of imports and exports?
07:20 It did not affect, but it affected the prices.
07:26 For us, Iraq did not affect because our plans are to support the currency and to provide the basic materials
07:36 for high consumption by the Iraqi citizens.
07:43 The Iraqi currency is distributed by the government.
07:50 Many countries suffered from the prices because of this and other reasons.
07:57 Iraq did not suffer from the prices because of the real plans.
08:02 The first target of the Ministry of Trade was to achieve food security.
08:08 We have taken precautionary measures to secure the Red Sea and other basic materials.
08:15 We were in a position to prevent the flooding through the government's measures.
08:20 [ Foreign Language Spoken ]