Industry Minister George Boujikian continued his meetings in Iraq on Saturday, where he met with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Ali Abdul-Amir Allawi, in the presence of Lebanon's Ambassador to Iraq, Ali al-Habhab.
The pair discussed ways to develop relations between Lebanon and Iraq at the strategic and economic levels, as well as activating the existing and signed agreements.
Boujikian stressed "Lebanon's adherence to the best relations with Iraq and thanked him for mutual cooperation," requesting to cancel customs duties on Lebanese goods exported to Iraq, and allowing Lebanese trucks to enter and unload their cargo at their final destination.
For his part, the Iraqi Deputy PM & Finance Minister considered that "what Iraq is doing is a duty towards Lebanon, which previously stood by Iraq in its ordeal,” calling for "transforming opportunities into a win-win situation, and for economic agreements to become true integration."
The conferees agreed on modernizing the Iraqi financial and banking sector, teaching foreign languages to Iraqis, increasing the volume of exchange, facilitating the granting of entry visas, and establishing a social development bank.