On 10 May 2017, Minister of State for Security Policy and International Cooperation István Mikola received Iraqi Deputy Minister of Industry Dr. Mohammed Hassim Abdulmaged and his delegation, who are in Budapest to attend the Iraqi Business Forum.
The main topics of discussion at the meeting were Hungarian-Iraqi economic relations, further opportunities for cooperation, and meeting the challenges faced by the Iraqi economy in the period following ISIS/Daesh.
The Iraqi Deputy Minister expressed his great appreciation for the support provided so far by Hungary in the interests of the Iraqi economy and development. He stressed that all available opportunities must be seized to enable Hungarian enterprises to appear on the Iraqi market, and confirmed that the Iraqi government is committed to supporting ongoing projects by foreign companies, including Hungarian enterprises such as the Orient River Ltd., which is already active in Iraq.
Minister of State István Mikola said that the development of the economy was inseparable from political stability. We support the unity and territorial integrity of Iraq. We are using all available means to effectively contribute to the fight against terrorism and the Islamic State, for which reason we have a military contingent stationed near the city of Erbil in Northern Iraq as part of the Global Coalition.
Mr. Mikola assured the Deputy Minister that Hungary is committed to expanding economic relations and helping SMEs enter the market.