Egypt's State Council supports WB projects for Iraq, Kurdistan Shura Council

CAIRO -19 March 2021: Egypt’s State Council received a request from World Bank officials in Washington to provide technical support for the bank’s ongoing projects for Iraq's State Council and Shura Council of Kurdistan Region in a way to help build the capabilities and enhance work in the Iraqi institutions, said head of Egypt's State Council Judge Mohamed Mahmoud Hossam El-Din on Thursday.

Hossam El-Din participated in a virtual meeting held by the World Bank in Washington with the heads of Iraqi State Council and Kurdistan's Shura Council, said Egypt’s state-owned news agency MENA.

During his meeting with Iraqi Minister of Planning Khaled Battal on December 12, 2020, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi affirmed Egypt’s fixed stance to support Iraq and enhance its Arab national role, as he met with

The president stressed Egypt’s strong will to continue fruitful cooperation with the Iraqi side in all fields.

Egypt and Iraq earlier agreed on ‘oil-for-development’ agreement, where Egyptian companies would implement development projects particularly in infrastructure and reconstruction in return for oil, according to a statement from the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation on Friday.

The Egyptian-Iraqi Joint High Committee was held in October 2020 and witnessed the signing of 15 documents in various fields to enhance joint cooperation between the two sides, and the organization of an economic and commercial forum with the participation of the heads of the federation of chambers, trade and concerned ministers from both sides.

During a tripartite summit held in Amman at the end of August 2020, headed by King Abdullah II, and with the participation of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, the leaders stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation and adopting the best ways and mechanisms to translate strategic relations on the ground.

The leaders highlighted areas of cooperation in economic, such as electrical connectivity, energy projects, and the common economic zone, especially in light of the global consequences of the emerging coronavirus pandemic on health, food and economic security.

During August’s summit, the leaders directed the relevant ministers to focus on the health and medical sectors, education, energy and intra-trade; encourage investment and economic cooperation, and benefit from the lessons of the emerging corona virus pandemic, in order to deepen cooperation in the face of the impact of the pandemic.

The leaders instructed the foreign ministers to set tasks entrusted to the executive secretariat, including the tasks of preparing for tripartite and ministerial summits, following up on their outputs, and submitting the necessary reports for leaders' meetings.