Iraq, Britain Sign Partnership Agreement Including 12.3 Billion Trade Package

Doha: Iraq and the UK signed Tuesday a broad partnership and cooperation agreement on trade, economic and strategic cooperation. Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani and his British counterpart Keir Starmer announced in a statement on the sidelines of Al Sudani’s visit to London that Iraq and Britain agreed on a trade package worth £12.3 billion and signed a joint statement on bilateral strategic defense and security relations. The statement also indicated that the two prime ministers signed the joint statement on bilateral strategic defense and security relations, which lays the foundation for a new era in security cooperation.

According to Qatar News Agency, the package includes a £1.2 billion project to interconnect the electricity grid between Iraq and Saudi Arabia using British-made power transmission systems, in addition to a £500 million project to rehabilitate the Iraqi Air Command base. Al Sudani is accompanied during his current visit to Britain by about 70 Iraqi businessmen who are exploring investment opportunities with 24 British companies in the private sector.