Iraqi Ambassador in Moscow: Russian Firms Ready to Enter Iraq to Localize Pharmaceuticals and Produce Paper

Baghdad – Al-Wasat Iraqi newspaper

Iraqi ambassador to Russia, Abdul Karim Hashim Mustafa, confirmed today, Monday, that there is broad readiness among Russian companies to work in Iraq across a number of sectors, and pointed to moves to attract firms to localize pharmaceutical industries and to develop cooperation in agriculture and paper production.

Mustafa said, "There is wide scope for new Russian companies to enter to work in Iraq, particularly in localizing pharmaceutical industries," noting that "many companies are ready to come to Iraq, and we are working on inviting several to work in this field."

He added that "there is excellent readiness on the Russian side to work in Iraq, and we are working on a file related to the Samarra pharmaceutical plant," pointing out that "the plant was originally established with Russian expertise."

He pointed to "opportunities for cooperation in the paper production sector, considering Russia one of the major producing countries due to its vast forest areas, as well as being one of the largest wheat producers and advanced in the fields of fertilizers and agricultural pesticides."

He affirmed that "there is broad readiness among Russian companies to work in Iraq," explaining that "dealing with the sanctions issue requires finding appropriate methods and ways to handle this complex matter."

In the educational field, Mustafa said: "A large number of Iraqi students are studying at Russian universities, and student arrivals continue," pointing out that "the Russian government annually grants dozens of scholarships to Iraqi students for postgraduate studies."