In the last year, Bulgarian industrial production was the second fastest growing in the European Union. This became clear during a meeting of the Minister of Economy and Industry Bogdan Bogdanov with the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Iraq Tabet Mohammad Al-Abasi.
‘The trade between Bulgaria and Iraq grew by 87% last year, but we can significantly increase its value by building on the good relations between our two countries,’ Bogdan Bogdanov stressed. He also pointed out that the companies investing in Bulgaria not only get access to the European market, but also to strategic resources — raw materials, human capital and various instruments for business support under European and national programmes.
The two ministers discussed opportunities for industrial cooperation in the defence sector. Minister Tabet Mohammad Al-Abasi said Iraq is making efforts to increase its budget in this field and the aim is to develop the country’s defence capabilities in all areas. ‘We are familiar with the opportunities of your industry and we hope that Bulgarian companies will actively participate in this process,’ the Iraqi minister said.
‘For me it is very important at the institutional level to work for more active cooperation between the businesses of the two countries,’ Minister Bogdanov said. He added that more joint events should be initiated in order to identify concrete areas of cooperation. From the Iraqi side it was emphasized that they are interested in partnership with Bulgarian companies in the fields of health, energy, construction, etc.
Minister Tabet Mohammad Al-Abasi congratulated the Bulgarian Minister of Economy on his appointment and expressed hope that in the future they will work together to deepen economic relations between the two countries. For his part, Minister Bogdanov stressed that for him it is key to have continuity in the institution and that is why on his first day in office he welcomed a delegation whose visit has been planned for months.
The Ambassador of the Republic of Iraq to Bulgaria H. E. Lina Jalal Omar, the temporary head of the Bulgarian Embassy in Baghdad Nikola Draganov, representatives of the two ministries and others took part in the meeting.
