Iraqi officials, political analysts and economists stressed the importance of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani's visit to Iraq, in light of the continuous development and mutual respect witnessed by the relations between the two countries.
In statements to Qatar News Agency (QNA), they stressed the need for both sides to build on the Amir's visit in order to increase economic and commercial co-operation and joint investments between the two countries in various fields. Among those are the oil and gas sector and infrastructure, which can be exploited and areas of cooperation developed.
They highlighted their country's need for Qatari diplomatic support in many international forums, given the strong relations that bind Qatar to various countries of the world, its prominent role in regional and international organisations, and its possession of relations and interests in all continents.
The spokesman for the Iraqi Ministry of Planning, Abd Al Zahra Al Hindawi, said that the Amir's visit represents an important step towards strengthening bilateral relations, especially as it comes after the announcement of the launch of the development path project in Iraq.
He pointed out that the trade exchange between the two countries is witnessing significant growth in its rates in recent years, and has become more than $300mn annually, stressing that the Amir's visit will contribute to increasing trade exchange to serve the interests of the two brotherly countries, especially with the presence of great investment opportunities in Iraq, where prestigious Qatari companies can capitalise on them.
For his part, Professor of International Relations at Iraq's Thi-Qar university stressed the importance of the Amir's visit, especially that Qatar is an active country diplomatically, politically and economically, and it has a wide international relations network, in addition to having a successful development experience in the region, and important companies operating in large parts of the world.
He noted that Iraq needs Qatari diplomatic support in international forums because Qatar has relations and interests in all countries of the world.
For his part, Spokesperson of the Iraqi Ministry of Oil Assem Jihad told Qatar News Agency (QNA) affirmed the continuous development of Iraqi-Qatari relations based on mutual respect, and keenness to expand the horizons of cooperation in all fields of oil and energy, noting that it is reflected in cooperation, the exchange of visits, coordination, and organization of meetings on an ongoing basis between the two sides.
Jihad said that Iraq can be a promising country in the production of gas, noting that Qatar's own companies have expertise in this field, and it is possible to find cooperation between the two countries in this regard, highlighting that the Iraqi market is important for Qatari products and investments, in light of Iraq's need to rebuild following the war against ISIS, and that it is possible for Qatari infrastructure companies to participate effectively in this field.
He stressed the extent to which mutual visits between the leaders of Arab countries contribute to enhancing regional stability and security, and to advancing development, which is a requirement for all the peoples of the region, adding that security and stability in the region are important to both Qatar and Iraq.
Former Iraqi member of parliament and politician Izzat Al Shabander told QNA that there are promising avenues for enhancing Iraqi-Qatari cooperation to eventually become a model for all the region's countries. He stressed that the visit of His Highness the Amir to Iraq will be a strong push in that regard.
Meanwhile, writer and media advisor Ghazi Shaye said that the visit of His Highness the Amir represents a turning point in bilateral relations and will have important implications, particularly for Iraq's Development Road project that the country seeks to implement with a number of countries around the world. He also said that the visit of His Highness the Amir was particularly special to Iraqi youth following the success of the State of Qatar in hosting FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
Abd Al Amir Al Majar, an Iraqi political analyst, told Qatar News Agency (QNA), that the Iraqi-Qatari relations have relative privacy. This is because Qatar has charted a special path for itself in its regional and international relations, pointing out that the emerging Arab, regional and foreign positions in general towards Iraq in light of the remarkable security stability it currently enjoys, were accompanied by relative political stability based on the principle of moving away from any regional hegemony, which is what made the energy, industry and investment sectors rise again or on their way to that, which prompted Arab and foreign countries to coordinate with Iraq to find a place for itself in the various fields of investment in it.
For his part, economic analyst Abd Al Aziz Al Hassoun told Qatar News Agency that both Qatar and Iraq remained close to one another, noting that Qatar began entering the Iraqi banking sector, lauding the move as an important step in growing bilateral relations and getting to know the economic opportunities available. He added that the increased level of visits between officials encouraged the business community to strengthen their ties even further.
In recent years, the Qatari-Iraqi relations have witnessed remarkable developments, as bilateral cooperation between the two countries contributed to achieving progress in many common fields, including economy and investment.
Qatar and Iraq are strategic partners in the field of economy and investment, as Qatar provided financial support to Iraq to contribute to its reconstruction from the remnants of the war against ISIS, and agreements and memorandums of understanding were signed between Qatari and Iraqi companies for joint investment projects in various fields, such as oil, gas and infrastructure. As these projects contributed to strengthening the economic infrastructure in Iraq and enhancing its economic potential.
