Large trade and economic Qatar delegation to arrive in Iraq for first time since 1990

A large trade and economic delegation from Qatar, headed by the country's trade minister Hamad bin Faisal al-Thani, arrives on Monday in Iraq with the first since 1990 official visit.

According to the Iraqi press, Qatar's minister and Iraq's leaders will discuss a possibility of a free trade zone agreement between the two countries, as well as of an agreement on investment protection. The parties will also touch upon the plans of establishing regular sea communication between Qatar's capital Doha and Iraq's Persian Gulf port Umm Qasr.

The delegation will also "study the opportunities of the Iraqi labour market for Qatar's private sector," al-Thani said before the departure.

Qatar is a second Persian Gulf country to send its trade delegation to Baghdad during the past two weeks. At the end of May a large group of businessmen from the United Arab Emirates visited Iraq. During that visit they signed an agreement on trade and economic cooperation between Iraq and the UAE.

Iraq pays special attention to improving trade and political links with the Persian Gulf countries. Since the All-Arab summit in Beirut in March the country has achieved a certain progress even with the most difficult Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, though Baghdad has had diplomatic relations disrupted with these countries since it occupied Kuwait in 1990.