Shawis: Iraq looks forward to found Organization of Gas Producing Countries
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) The Iraqi Government announced its desire to develop the idea of founding the Organization of Gas Producing Countries like OPEC which was found in Baghdad in 1960 as an initiative from the Iraqi government. The Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs, Rose Nouri Shawis said in his speech during his participation in the International Economic San Petersburg Forum, 16th round in Russia “Many things characterize the relations between our two countries as being the largest producing countries for energy especially oil and gas, besides, both States tend to draw the economic strategies towards liberalizing the economy from the domination of central bureaucracy control,” noting that “We attempt to turn our economy into a free economy that works according to the market mechanisms to be an efficient dynamic economy that seeks integrating into the global economy.” He added “We look forward to develop the bilateral cooperation between Iraq and Russia in fields of rehabilitating the Iraqi efficiencies and skills in various specializations,” stresing the need to “cooperate in fields of science and technology to take advantage of the capabilities and expertise of the Russian scientific institutions such as universities, scientific institutes and scientific research centers which are urgently needed in Iraq.” Shawis mentioned that “The Iraqi Government is keen to re-activate the work of the mutual Iraqi-Russian Committee for Trade, Economic, scientific and Technical Cooperation that was conducted in 1993, August 5th so we look forward to coordinate and cooperate in this regard for the success of the meetings of its six round which are schedualed to be held in the last quarter of 2012.”