CAIRO: Iraq and Egypt discussed improved cooperation in the fields of communications and IT at a meeting between Amr Talaat, the Egyptian minister of communications and information technology, and his Iraqi counterpart, Arkan Shihab, on Thursday.
Shihab was leading a high-level delegation to Egypt that included government officials and representatives of the Iraqi private sector.
The two ministers chaired a meeting that included executive leaders from both sides, where they discussed mechanisms to boost cooperation, exchange experiences and stimulate joint initiatives in related fields, which were included in an MoU signed between the two countries.
The MoU covered the areas of infrastructure, digital transformation, capacity building, postal services, Arab digital content, innovation and entrepreneurship, cybersecurity research and development and investment in the field of communications, IT and satellites.
Talaat underlined the depth of Egyptian and Iraqi relations and stressed the directives from the political leaders of the two countries to intensify joint cooperation.
President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi has directed Egypt’s government to offer required support to enhance cooperation with Iraq.
There was agreement on a proposal submitted by the Iraqi minister to establish an Egyptian-Iraqi company to start digital transformation projects and the digitization of services in Iraq. A joint team will develop the idea and implement it, Talaat said.
He said a joint committee will be formed to oversee cooperation plans and added that he has accepted the invitation to visit Iraq. He highlighted Egyptian companies’ aspiration to work in the Iraqi market.
Talaat said he and his Iraqi counterpart reviewed the areas of cooperation that had been agreed upon during their meeting with the Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouli.
Madbouli hailed Egyptian-Iraqi cooperation in the communication sphere, highlighting President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi’s directives to the government to offer required support to enhance relations with Iraq.
Shihab said there is a political will to establish real partnerships and open horizons for cooperation between Cairo and Baghdad, given the strategic importance of the two countries.
