Iran’s second exclusive exhibition opened in Baghdad on Tuesday. Leading a delegation of Iranian traders, Iranian Minister of Industries, Mining and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh attended the expo on Wednesday. He was scheduled to hold talks later in the day with Iraqi officials, including his counterpart, Malas Mohammad Abdulkarim, on expanding bilateral cooperation. Before heading to the exhibition, Nematzadeh held a meeting with the Iraqi Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Mohammad Shiya al-Sudani, during which he called for the establishment of long-term bilateral cooperation, IRNA reported. “Iran is prepared to share its industrial and commercial experiences with Iraq,” he said. The Iranian minister was also expected to visit the production lines of SAIPA and Iran Khodro, Iran’s two major auto manufacturing companies, set up by joint investment in the city of Iskandariya, south of Baghdad. The four-day exhibition, which introduces what Iran has to offer in different areas of commerce, industries and hygiene, was welcomed by Iraqi governmental and private companies on Tuesday. A series of meetings and talks on the first day of the event on Tuesday led to the signing of many contracts. More than 100 Iranian companies are taking part in the event. “Iranian products are warmly received in Iraq due to their standard quality and reasonable price,” said deputy industries minister, Hossein Esfahbodi, while visiting the exhibition on Tuesday. Esfahbodi, who also heads the Iran-Iraq Chamber of Commerce, described the event as a “golden opportunity” for the two sides to hold talks on facilitating commercial, industrial, economic and investment interactions.
