The Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Dr. Khaled Hanafy, received at the Union's headquarters in Beirut, a delegation from the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce headed by the President of the Wasel Chamber Muhammad Dia Hussein, and in the presence of the President of Al Amara Chamber Alaa Wali al-Shammari, the Secretary-General of the Federation of Iraqi Chambers Hamid al-Jubouri, and the Director of Arab & Joint Chambers, Hoda Kashtan, the economic advisor to the union, Dr. Sarah Al-Jazzar, and the media officer at the Union, Mohammad Mezher.
During the meeting, a review of the general situation in the Arab region, and the prospects for the future stage, in light of the continuing impact of the Corona pandemic on the global economy, especially Arab economies. The meeting also dealt with the role that the Federation of Iraqi Chambers can play in its capacity as a prominent member of the Union of Arab Chambers in the next stage.
Hanafy stressed during the meeting the "pivotal role of Iraq," referring to the "effective and prominent role that the Federation of Iraqi Chambers plays in its capacity as a member of the Board of Directors of the Union of Arab Chambers," affirming that "the Federation of Iraqi Chambers is one of the founding federations of the Union, which was founded in 1951, and despite all the circumstances it faced, it has always played an influential and effective role, and we are sure that it will have a greater role in the next stage."
He added, "Our mission, as the Union of Arab Chambers, in partnership and cooperation with our brothers in the Federation of Iraqi Chambers, is to work on building bridges of communication between Iraq and its brothers in all Arab countries, so that Iraq can play its pioneering role as it was in the past."
He also stressed that "Iraq is a key country and it should remain so, especially because it stores a civilization rooted in history and human, natural and financial resources and fully qualified in light of the changes taking place today, to be a strategic point by virtue of its geostrategic position in the movement of trade exchange between Arab countries countries and from there to the rest of the world."
For its part, the Iraqi delegation conveyed a congratulatory message from the President of the Federation of Iraqi Chambers, Abdul Razzaq Al-Zuhairi, to the new President of the Union of Arab Chambers, His Excellency Mr. Muhammad Thani Murshed Al-Rumaithi, appreciating the efforts made by the General Secretariat of UAC, headed by the Secretary General of the Union Dr. Khaled Hanafy, noting his words on the essential role of Iraq and the role of the Federation of Iraqi Chambers as an influential and effective member within the Union of Arab Chambers.
The delegation reviewed the conditions in which Iraq is living, pointing out that "Iraq since 2014 has been going through difficult economic conditions, as the war against the terrorist organization ISIS has led to great destruction of the infrastructure of Iraq, and the Corona pandemic has increased the fragility of the economic situation, which necessitates the concerted efforts of all Arab efforts in order to help Iraq rise again, to return to play the key role it has always played over the past decades.
He stated, "Iraq has enormous natural resources, human wealth, and fertile agricultural lands, and from here we call for an increase in the volume of Arab investments in Iraq, especially in the agricultural sector, in a way that could lead to achieving Arab food integration."
He also pointed out that the start of Iraq in implementing the "large FAO" project will turn Iraq into a major transport hub towards the world, as it integrates with the Silk Road project that China has started implementing since 2013, and therefore Arab countries must be part of this vital project, not only to Iraq, but to most Arab countries."
