Minister of Foreign Affairs Meets President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development in Rome

On 4 May 2021, Foreign Minister, H.E. Mr. Fuad Hussein met with the President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in Rome, Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo.

During the meeting, They discussed aspects of cooperation between Iraq and IFAD that lead to developing Iraqi agricultural sector and benefit from the Fund’s expertise and capacity in this field, in addition to exploring the possibility of opening an office for the fund in Iraq, especially in light of the Iraqi government’s tendency to support the agricultural sector as one of the important economic sectors.
The Minister affirmed that negotiations will continue with neighboring countries, Turkey and Iran, regarding the water quotas for Iraq.
The Minister extended an invitation to Mr. Angbo to visit Iraq, to ​​learn about the Iraqi agricultural reality, and to examine Iraq’s needs to achieve agricultural development.
H.E. also touched on the need to develop the skills and capabilities of Iraqi agricultural specialists in the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment, through the Fund setting up courses for them to help them build the necessary capacities to achieve agricultural development in cooperation with United Nations organizations and agencies in Rome (IFAD, FAO, WFP).
The meeting was attended by Iraq ambassador in Rome, Mrs. Safia Al-Suhail and Mrs. Dina Saleh, Regional Director for the Near East and North Africa at IFAD.