US eyes cooperation in transport sector with Iraq + Bahrain Industry Minister talks FTA with chief negotiator

The US is keen to help Iraq develop its transportation sector: US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski met with Iraqi Transport Minister Razzaq Al Saadawi in Baghdad on Tuesday to discuss cooperation in the transportation sector, according to a statement given by the Transport Ministry to Al Sumaria News. The US is “ready” to help Iraq develop its transport sector, Romanowski said, adding on Twitterthat projects like the Grand Faw Port and the Development Road are “inspiring” and “could bring great benefits not only to Iraq but to the entire region.”

Bahrain meets with UK negotiator to discuss GCC FTA: Bahraini Industry and Commerce Minister Abdullah bin Adel Fakhrois discussed the free trade agreement (FDA) it plans to sign along with the other GCC countries with the UK with Chief Negotiator for the UK-GCC FTA Tom Wintle as part of a roundtable, according to the state-owned Bahrain News Agency. While there has been progress towards the agreement, with Bahrain being the newest country to join, there is still no timeframe for the agreement “to be signed, sealed, and delivered,” but a “team of negotiators will once again meet in London this summer to discuss the draft treaty,” Wintle said.