Iraq Resumes WTO Accession Talks After 16-Year Hiatus, 17 July

 By John Lee.

Iraqi Trade Minister Athir Dawood Al-Ghurairi announced the resumption of preliminary meetings for Iraq’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) after a 16-year pause.

The Iraqi negotiation teams have started preparatory meetings at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, preparing for the third working group meeting on Iraq’s accession.

According to a statement from the Ministry’s media office, Riyad Fakher Al-Hashemi, Director General of the Foreign Economic Relations Department, indicated that the first preparatory meeting was held with the WTO’s Accession Section Director and experts in goods, services, and intellectual property.

This meeting, chaired by Al-Hashemi and including negotiators from various Iraqi ministries and the Kurdistan Region, discussed key files and documents previously submitted by Iraq.

The third official working group meeting, to be led by the Trade Minister representing Iraq, will review the completed files and documents prepared by the national committee responsible for the accession. This marks a significant step as the Iraqi negotiation team reaches a high level of expertise in dealing with complex issues related to WTO membership.

(Source: Ministry of Trade)

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