Planning Minister receives an Iraqi government delegation to discuss the exchange of expertise
04 February 2021
Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Dr. Hala El-Said received recently an Iraqi government delegation of officials from the Ministries of Planning, Finance, Labor and Social Affairs in the State of Iraq, with the aim of learning and benefiting from the Egyptian expertise in the planning system.At the beginning of the meeting, Dr. Hala El-Said welcomed the visit of the Iraqi delegation; she emphasized the depth of the strong strategic relations between the two countries.El-Said noted that the Corona pandemic imposed a kind of concerted effort and the return of strategic partnerships between Arab countries.El-Said referred to the joint Egyptian-Iraqi High Committee held in Iraq during the period from 28-31 October 2020, which resulted in the signing of 15 joint memoranda of understanding between the two parties in some areas. El-Said also drew attention to the successful visit of Dr. Khaled Al-Battal, the Iraqi Minister of Planning last December, which ended with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two ministries to open horizons for bilateral relations between the two countries in the fields of joint work.The visit included developing economic policies, planning at strategic, central, and sectorial levels, balancing programs and performance, preparing and following up the investment plan in the country, and statistical training in the field of the UN goals of sustainable developmentDuring the meeting, Dr. Hala El-Said reviewed the ministry's work tasks, Egypt's vision 2030, and its goals.She highlighted the ministry’s affiliated bodies such as the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), Institute-of-National-Planning (INP), the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD), and the Demographic Center.El-Said pointed to the role of The Sovereign Fund of Egypt (TSFE) as a model for partnership with the private sector to maximize the use of state assetsDuring the meeting, the Iraqi ambassador in Cairo indicated that there are serious steps to activate the exchange of experiences in the fields of economic cooperation, training, raising the efficiency of cadres, and building economic policies and plans.