Shafaq News/ On Thursday, al-Sulaymaniyah Chamber of Commerce and Industry announced efforts to revive direct trade between Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region, and Romania after more than two decades of hiatus.

Nuzad Ghafur, President of the Chamber, stated, "Today, a comprehensive meeting was held between the al-Sulaimaniyah Chamber of Commerce and Industry and a high-level delegation from Romania, which included the Romanian Ambassador to Iraq, the Romanian Consul in the Kurdistan Region, representatives of major Romanian companies, and several companies from al-Sulaymaniyah."

Ghafur noted that this was the second meeting in the past two months aimed at creating a conducive environment for the resumption of direct trade between Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and Romania, given that direct trade has been halted for over 25 years.

He highlighted that companies engaged in bilateral meetings to initiate trade exchanges in sectors such as energy, technology, construction, food, and commercial expertise sharing.

"The chamber is committed to supporting and enhancing trade relations between Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and Romania due to the significance of Romanian products and the expertise of its traders," Ghafur affirmed.

Romanian Ambassador Radu Dobrea revealed that in recent years, trade between Iraq and Romania had been conducted indirectly through intermediaries.

"Romanian products reached Iraq via neighboring countries such as Turkiye, Jordan, Syria, and the UAE," he explained.

Dobrea emphasized the aim to establish direct trade without intermediaries and to overcome obstacles, thereby facilitating direct trade with Iraq and the Kurdistan Region.