The Ministry of Trade announced today, Saturday, its participation in the technical meetings of the United Nations Trade and Development Organization (UNCTAD), in Istanbul, regarding the accession of Arab countries to the World Trade Organization. The Ministry stated, in a statement, that it participated today in the technical meetings organized by UNCTAD in Istanbul, which will last for two days, to discuss the experiences of Arab countries in joining the World Trade Organization. The Director General of the Department of Foreign Economic Relations, Riyad Fakher Al-Hashemi, who represented the Ministry of Trade in these meetings, said, according to the statement, 'The meetings discussed the outcomes of the thirteenth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization, the process of Arab countries joining the organization, and how Iraq can benefit from these experiences.' In his journey to join, the importance of services trade in supporting the economies of Arab countries and promoting their growth wa s also reviewed. Al-Hashemi stressed: 'Iraq's participation in these technical meetings enhances the experience of the Iraqi negotiating team, and pushes it to move forward, in an accelerated manner, towards achieving full accession to the World Trade Organization, as the exchange of knowledge and experiences gained from these meetings will have a major positive impact on improving Iraq's negotiating capabilities and achieving its economic goals. The statement indicated: 'This participation is part of the ongoing efforts made by the Ministry of Trade to strengthen Iraq's international economic relations, and to benefit from the opportunities available to enhance economic and commercial development in the country. Source: National Iraqi News Agency