Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan.18
By Fatih Karimov - Trend:
A delegation from Iran's chamber of commerce paid a visit on Friday to Iraq's Wasit province to discuss expanding bilateral ties, the Fars News Agency reported on January 18.
The delegation was comprised of medical and tourism officials of the chamber of commerce.
The governor general of Wasit province said that Iranian physicians have treated many Iraqi patients in the past. We are planning to benefit from Iranian physicians more in the province.
"We are ready to provide Iranian investors with all their requirements in this province," according to the statement.
High levels of commercial exchange between Iraq and Iran were registered in 2013, which reached - according to both Iraqi and Iranian officials - more than $12 billion. This comes at a time when the Iraqi government aspires to increase trade between the two countries, with a goal of $15 billion.
Iran is currently exporting 24 billion cubic meters of gas to Iraq annually. Iraq also imports 400 megawatts of power from Iran through the Kermanshah-Diyala line, the Zihab-Khanaqin line and the Abadan-Basra line. These provinces are provided with electricity through high-voltage power lines.
The Iranian Trade Development Organization announced in June 2013 that Iraq is the biggest importer of Iranian goods, affirming that 72 percent of Iran's exports go to Iraq. It also noted that the Iraqi imports of Iranian goods have increased by 15.7 percent compared to last year.