Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 5
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran plans to boost medical services and pharmaceutical exports to Iraq.
In a meeting between Iran's Minister of Cooperatives, Labor and Social Welfare Ali Rabiee and Iraqi Health Minister Adila Hamoud in Tehran, the Iraqi minister announced readiness to boost imports of medical equipment and medicine from Iran, IRIB reported on Jan. 5.
She urged Iranian officials to expedite the construction of a medicine production factory in Iraq.
The Iranian minister, for his part, said that Iran is ready to accept Iraqi patients to be treated in Iranian hospitals.
Rabiee also announced readiness to expand labor and vocational services to Iraq.
Iranian Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Ali Tayyebnia said in May 2014 that the volume of trade transactions between Iran and Iraq will reach $20 billion over the next three years.
Tayyebnia put the value of the 2013 trade exchanges between Iran and Iraq at $6 billion.
He said that the value of Tehran-Baghdad transactions, including technical and engineering exports, gas and electricity export and transit hit $12 billion in 2013.
Iraq was second top importer of Iranian goods during the first ten months of 2014. The country imported $4.89 billion worth of goods during the period, according to the Iranian Customs Administration.
edited by CN