HOUSTON - Friday, December 14th 2012 [ME NewsWire]
(BUSINESS
WIRE)-- On his first official visit as Governor of Basra, Iraq, His
Excellency Dr. Khalaf Abdul-Samad Khalaf addressed more than 100 local
executives today to outline the current investment opportunities in the
Basra region for American firms. With oil sales fueling the Iraqi
economy, immense financial resources are being dedicated to developing
sectors including infrastructure, water treatment, transportation,
housing, healthcare, and education. The private luncheon event was
hosted by the Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with
the United States’ Departments of State and Commerce.
The program
was opened with comments by Naufel Al Hassan, Commercial Trade
Counselor for Iraq who declared, “Iraq has risen from the ashes and is
open for business.” Al Hassan introduced the governor, who described the
elements that position Basra as the focal point for development in
Iraq, including having the vast majority of Iraq’s known oil reserves
and being the only Iraq city with direct access to the sea.
“Our
provincial income has expanded 500% over the past several years,”
commented H.E. Governor Khalaf. “This growth in revenue has exceeded the
province's ability to manage and implement projects, so with this in
mind, we are looking for expert consultants and quality companies that
can help Basra fulfill and fully utilize our ever-expanding spending
power.”
Aida Araissi, President of the Bilateral Chamber said,
“Our organization is proud to have participated in this inaugural visit,
and will continue to produce programs and events that increase
awareness, access, and opportunity between our members and emerging MENA
economies, especially within Iraq and the Basra Province.”
The
Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce is an exclusive membership-based
network of international business leadership that establishes strategic
connections between the United States and Middle East/North Africa
(MENA) to foster economic growth, educational advancement and cultural
understanding. Founded in 1997 by Aida Araissi, the Bilateral Chamber
creates access, strategic options, and positive results for its members
by facilitating relationships with key decision-makers, helping to
navigate through the complex field of international trade, and producing
effective programming including trade missions, speaker’s series, and
educational exchange initiatives. Headquartered in Houston, Texas (USA),
the not-for-profit Bilateral Chamber membership includes Fortune 500
companies, private sector enterprises, thought leaders, and academic
institutions from a wide range of industry sectors across the US and
MENA regions. For more information about the Bilateral Chamber, visit
http://www.bilateralchamber.org.
Photos: https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0B6U-ot4h9pS1MXZOVHRIWkE3c1E/edit
Contacts
Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce
Iana Dealey, 1+919.538.1511
Permalink: http://www.me-newswire.net/news/6612/en
No comments:
Post a Comment