PH Embassy in Baghdad Leads Iraq and Kurdis Region’s Trade Mission to PH

MANILA 28 May 2022 – The Philippine Embassy in Baghdad takes the lead in organizing the first Iraq and Kurdistan Region’s Trade Mission to the Philippines from 23-28 May 2022.

The inaugural trade mission is spearheaded by Philippine Ambassador to Baghdad Generoso DG Calonge, Department of Foreign Affairs Office of Middle East and African Affairs’ (DFA-OMEAA) Assistant Secretary Alfonso A. Ver, Department of Trade and Industry – Export Management Bureau (DTI-EMB) Director Christopher Lawrence S. Arnuco.

Trade Mission attendees participated in a series of business and trade symposium, Philippine product exhibition, and plant tours during their five-day visit to the Philippines.

To kickstart the Trade Mission, Philippine Embassy in Baghdad and DTI-EMB organized a welcome program and a two-day PH business and trade symposium on 23 and 24 May 2022 at Dusit-Thani Manila featuring speakers from both public and private sectors. Representatives from (enumerate all participating agencies) DFA-Office of International and Economic Relations (DFA-OIER) and other private institutions gave insights to attendees on how to invest and conduct business in the Philippines.

Participants to the Trade Mission visited Betis and Clark City, Pampanga on their third day in the Philippines. Representatives from the PhilExpo-Region 3 highlight the export quality of the products produced in the Philippines. A total of 17 exporters presented a wide array of Philippine products to the Iraqi participants.

After the brief trade exposition in Central Luzon, the delegates visited Philippine coconut water processing and lambanog distillery plants down south in Peter Paul Phils. (Candelaria, Quezon) and Philippine Craft Distillers, Inc. (Lipa City, Batangas), respectively. 

Seven ‘letter of intents’ was signed as a result of the Trade Mission. A Memorandum of Agreement is also being explored for the export of coco fruits and coconut by-products to Iraq.

A second follow through of the Trade Mission is being considered with the target date of the activity in the first quarter of 2023.

The successful PH hosting of the Trade Mission owes much of its success to GEM, Inc. for its impressive logistical preparations, timely and relevant programs, and service delivery and hospitality. END

For more information, visit https://www.baghdadpe.dfa.gov.ph, https://philembassybaghdad.wordpress.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/PHinIraq/.