Baghdad, Iraq–The Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al Sudani has stressed the need for economic reform and supporting the sectors of agriculture, industry, tourism and trade.
The prime minister highlighted the need to fortify Iraq, in order for it not to be a passage for smuggling hard currency and money laundering.
Al Sudani said during his visit today to the Ministry of Industry and Minerals, that economic reform is a prelude to social reform, stressing that it is not an intellectual luxury or for media consumption.
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He pointed out that exchange rate fluctuations and their impact on the Iraqi economy compel the inevitability of economic reform, support for agriculture, industry, tourism and trade, instead of Iraq being a market for imported goods, and a passage for smuggling hard currency and money laundering.
The Iraqi Prime Minister noted that Iraq has an opportunity to rise as an industrial country, with an industrial identity, saying that his government is supporting the industrial sector in this regard.
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He stressed the need for the industry sector to be kept far from political investment, with the private sector’s partnership contributing to the advancement of the Iraqi industry. He stressed the importance of protecting local products as a means to support the private sector, reducing the saturation of the local market with imported goods.
Al Sudani directed the auditing of industrial development permits and sponsoring small and medium enterprises, due to their role in forming major projects and contributing to the creation of job opportunities.