Iraq seeks to establish industrial cities in cooperation with neighboring countries

by **Rocky** Sun 25 Dec 2022, 5:58 am

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Iraq seeks to establish industrial cities in cooperation with neighboring countries

by Rocky Sun 25 Dec 2022, 5:58 am

Iraq seeks to establish industrial cities in cooperation with neighboring countries

To address economic and social problems and fears of corruption infiltrating new projects

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Saturday, December 24, 2022 16:42

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Iraq has minerals that can be used to establish hundreds of factories (AFP)[/size]

The Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals announced efforts to open new industrial and economic cities with [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] , Saudi Arabia and Turkey. It also revealed a desire by the [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Governorate .

The Iraqi authorities are looking for a trend towards attracting foreign investments, as Iraqi Prime Minister Muhammad Shia' al-Sudani confirmed in his tweet that "the second Baghdad summit hosted by brotherly Jordan confirmed Iraq's pivotal role in the region and the world."

Al-Sudani added that the summit "will be a springboard for economic development and serious partnership, with Baghdad as a base for peace."

He expressed his thanks to "all countries participating in the summit," stressing, "We will continue to work with brothers and friends to achieve our economic and development goals in service of our honorable people."

Industrial areas map

In this context, the Ministry of Industry and Minerals said that "there is significant and tangible progress in the projects of industrial cities in the provinces," noting that "the industrial city in Anbar has fully completed the first phase, and the second phase is nearing completion, reaching about 70 percent."

She pointed out that "the industrial city in Dhi Qar governorate witnessed the completion of the first and second phases by 100 percent," noting that "the Industrial Cities Authority seeks to complete all stages and open other projects for joint industrial cities between it and neighboring countries."

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She pointed to "efforts to complete the joint economic city project on the borders between Iraq and Jordan," stressing "the ministry's tireless efforts to participate in opening industrial and economic cities with other countries such as Iran, Saudi Arabia or Turkey."

She added, "There is a desire by the Turkish side to establish a pharmaceutical industrial city in Nineveh Governorate, especially since the region represents an important commercial center."

She explained that "there are two industrial cities under development by investors, namely Karbala, which is specialized in the petrochemical and oil industries, and the industrial city in Najaf, which is concerned with non-polluting industries and has an estimated area of about six thousand dunums."

She pointed out, "The existence of an industrial city in Wasit Governorate, with an area of five thousand dunums, offered as an investment opportunity."

Earlier, the Minister of Industry and Minerals, Khaled Batal Al-Najm, laid the foundation stone for the non-polluted industrial city of Najaf, which is one of the largest industrial cities on an area of six thousand dunums.

He expressed his hope that the city would be crowned with success and attract industrialists from the people of Najaf and abroad, and from outside Iraq, noting that "the city will be smart and environmentally friendly, and we are working to develop an industrial city in all provinces."

He explained that industrial cities contribute to the development of the governorates in which they are established in all economic, environmental and even social aspects, as they provide job opportunities and contain services, complexes and other facilities, indicating that industrial cities are of exceptional importance in organizing the industrial sector.

City building policy

Professor of International Economics, Nawar Al-Saadi, says, "There is a very great importance for the Iraqi government to adopt the policy of building industrial cities in the country's governorates, as it is considered one of the most important economic projects or ideas implemented by the state with the aim of developing the industrial sector in it in particular, and addressing social and economic problems in general. The economic sector is considered one of the most absorbing of the labor force at all technical and scientific levels.

Al-Saadi considered that "the establishment of industrial cities provides the investor with the infrastructure to establish his project, and for this reason the government chooses an area of plain land that is far from population centers, and paves the roads leading to it and divides it into specific areas separated by paved roads, and water and electricity are delivered to these sections to be ready for any investment." The government is also building some service facilities for this community.

He explained that the World Trade Organization itself set conditions for sponsoring free zones in the world in order to encourage them, as the World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement included details of the so-called subsidies and compensatory measures (SCM), to express the conditions and benefits of free zones for various countries of the world.

"However, it is very important that there be an integrated infrastructure for all facilities and services, which helps in localizing the industry and through it achieves the goals of the country's comprehensive economic development," he added.

He mentioned that the industrial cities help the emergence and growth of national factories, and also create integration between government and private factories due to the closeness between them, and contribute to diversifying sources of cash income.

However, according to Al-Saadi, the Iraqi government must designate geographical areas in which companies are subject to special rules that differ from those in the rest of the country, and investors are often granted tax exemptions, other fees and financial incentives.

Although foreign investments in general are a positive and successful phenomenon in some countries, and there is indeed a need for foreign and Iraqi investment industries and for the establishment of industrial cities in Iraq, as well as cooperation with neighboring countries, Arab countries and others, this must be done within fair conditions for Iraq and for Iraqi industrialists as well as for the investor Iraqi, says Saadi.

It is believed that the law (Basra, the economic capital of Iraq), which was approved in 2017, has not been implemented yet, and is considered a fundamental change in the philosophy of establishing and building free zones, as the law focused on managing free trade zones, which are closer to the idea of free industrial and service cities.

Ghosts of corruption

Although the idea of establishing industrial cities in Iraq seems good at first sight in transforming remote areas into industrial ones and employing the unemployed, just as Iraq possesses minerals that can be used to establish hundreds of factories, there are fears that the corruption that Iraq suffers from may penetrate into these areas. In addition to the wrong practice of the right idea, and the impact of this on the environment, the citizen and the exhausted Iraqi economy in the first place.

On the other hand, economic researcher Amer Al-Jawahiri said that the "Baghdad Summit" in its second edition focused on the economic aspect more.

Al-Jawahiry said in a press statement that "Iraq's speech was clear that it focused on cooperation in the matter of infrastructure, investments and partnership."

He noted that "the government is not satisfied with the demand and ambition, but rather it has its duty to determine what projects Iraq intends to implement in a clearer manner through what was presented at the summit."

He pointed out that "the industrial cities projects that were discussed at the summit should be implemented at home, to employ the Iraqi workforce, provided that the economic inputs and outputs are for the benefit of the Iraqi citizen."

Al-Jawahiri added, "Saudi Arabia announced its readiness to establish an industrial city in Iraq, but it is also possible to cooperate with it to establish a petrochemical complex."

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Iraq seeks to establish industrial cities in cooperation with neighboring countries

Iraq seeks to establish industrial cities in cooperation with neighboring countries

To address economic and social problems and fears of corruption infiltrating new projects

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