Kuwaiti-Iraqi businesswomen forum urges closer economic cooperation

The Kuwaiti-Iraqi businesswomen forum discussed the economic relations between the two countries and ways to promote investment in commerce and energy. "We seek to build closer business relations with the Iraqi people, particularly the businesswomen, and open new horizons for economic cooperation; the forum is a step forward in this direction," Basma Al-Qassar, member of the delegation and co-organizer of the event, said Saturday. "The forum provided us with an opportunity to share experience and brainstorm ideas on the prospects of economic cooperation," she told KUNA. Engineer Sarah Akbar, CEO of Kuwait Energy Company, led Kuwait's delegation to the forum. Al-Qassar noted that the Kuwaiti delegation held fruitful talks with Chairperson of the Trade Bank of Iraq (TBI) Hamdiyah Mahmoud Faraj Al-Jaff and Chairman of the National Investment Commission (NIC) Sami Al-A'raj. "The talks during the forum focused on cooperation in the fields of finance, investment, commerce and energy," she said, noting that Kuwait Energy, which developed several oil projects in Iraq, believes that its investment in any country should focus on building long-term partnership, not profit-taking. Al-Qassar thanked Kuwait Ambassador to Iraq Ghassan Al-Zawawe and staff of the embassy for their contribution to the success of the forum. On her part, Al-Jaff, the TBI Chairperson, lauded the growing economic relations between Iraq and Kuwait, saying that these relations will reach new height in the near future. "Iraq's completion of the implementation of its financial obligations towards Kuwait ... will be opening new horizons for the bilateral ties and joint investments," she noted. The TBI invited the Kuwaiti female investors to start preparing for a quantum leap in the economic cooperation in such areas as commerce, industry, energy and petrochemicals," Al-Jaff added. Besides Akbar and Al-Qassar, the Kuwaiti delegation also includes Eng. Futooh Al-Asfour, Eng. Sheikha Al-Arfaj, Nihad Al-Freih and Fare'a Al-Saqqaf.