ISLAMABAD: The ninth session of the Pak-Iraq Joint Ministerial Commission has not been held for the last 17 years, sources said.
The 8th session of the commission was held in April 2001 in Pakistan where both Pakistan and Iraq had agreed to enhance the volume of bilateral trade and cooperation in various fields. The delegates dispersed into three sub-committees and after discussing wide range of bilateral economic commercial, scientific, cultural and industrial relations between the two countries, agreed to proceed further with cooperation in various areas of mutual interest.
Then Pakistan offered supply of wheat and rice to Iraq while Iraq also requested raw material in the fields of medical packaging and textile. It was also agreed to supply engineering goods, motor vehicles, electoral appliances and construction materials.
“The 9th session of the commission is scheduled to be held in Baghdad this month but it appears the government is not prepared to attend it,” official sources at the Ministry of Commerce told Customs Today.
However, the sources named a fewer measures taken by the MoC during last few years to enhance trade and commerce cooperation with Iraq. In this regard, the source said that Ministry of Commerce sent a trade delegation arranged by TDAP comprising of 11 members visited Iraq in May last year with the objective of enhancement of trade. The delegation included Pakistani exporters from rice, IT Services, food items, confectionery, furniture, leather, gloves and garments, sports goods, surgical equipment and fresh fruits sectors
“Trade Development Authority of Pakistan arranged the meeting of Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan with the Ministry of Trade Iraq and Grain Board of Iraq in order to resolve the issue of participation in rice procurement tenders for exports to Iraq,” the sources said.
The issue was resolved and Pakistan acceded to the list of eligible bidding countries,” the sources said, adding that the first tender was circulated by Iraq and the company named AMEROPA won the tender of export of 30,000/-Tons rice to Iraq. Moreover, TDAP invited and offered hospitality to Iraqi businessmen through Embassy of Pakistan Baghdad to attend Expo Pakistan 2017, however no one participated from Iraq.
Moreover, the sources said that some eight years back in 2010, MoC had asked the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) to examine the trade potential of Post-Saddam Iraq. Through a letter, the Ministry of Commerce has asked the TDAP to examine trade potential and current situation of export to the country.
