The Iraqi Minister of Communications Arkan Shahab visited Egypt on June 16-18, heading a high-level delegation comprising government officials and representatives of the Iraqi private sector. The visit aimed to enhance cooperation between Egypt and Iraq in ICT and post.
During the visit, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly met with the Iraqi Minister, in the presence of the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat. The two ministers presented the pillars of cooperation agreed upon, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance bilateral cooperation and exchange experiences in ICT.
Pursuant to the MoU, the two sides will cooperate to leverage the capabilities available in the ICT sector to enhance cooperation and develop the sector. The two sides also agreed on collaborating in several areas, including infrastructure, digital transformation, capacity building, postal services, digital Arabic content, innovation, entrepreneurship, cybersecurity, research and development (R&D), and investment in ICT, as well as in satellite communications, legislative and regulatory framework and technology parks.
Moreover, Talaat received his Iraqi counterpart. They chaired an expanded meeting that brought together a number of executive leaders from the two sides to discuss cooperation, exchanging experiences and carrying out joint initiatives in a number of areas included in the MoU.
During the meeting, Talaat stressed the depth of ties between the two countries, and announced that the Iraqi Minister’s proposal of establishing an Egyptian-Iraqi company to carry out digital transformation and service automation projects in Iraq has been agreed upon.
For his part, Shahab stressed that there is a political will to establish real partnerships and open avenues of cooperation between Egypt and Iraq, given the significant strategic position of the two countries, and the similarity and congruence between the two ministries, which will contribute to the completion of work. He also invited Talaat to visit Iraq, and added that a business forum will be organized in Iraq, through which Egyptian companies will be invited to get to know the promising Iraqi market and work in it.
Furthermore, the CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Authority (ITIDA) Amr Mahfouz Shahab has met with Shahab to discuss enhancing cooperation between the two sides. Mahfouz underlined that ITIDA is eager to collaborate with Iraqi companies and agencies, and to share its expertise and experiences to benefit the Iraqi youth.
