Iraq and Oman on Wednesday signed an agreement to boost trade ties during a visit by Oman's Trade Minister Maqbool bin Ali bin Sultan to Baghdad, the first by an Omani official since sanctions were imposed on Iraq in 1991, reported the official Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The agreement was signed at the end of the 5th joint commission meetings that discussed expansion of trade volume between the two countries, increasing Omani investments in Baghdad, and launching flights between Muscat and Basra, south of Iraq, said INA.
In 2000, Oman exported $20 million worth of goods to Iraq as part of the UN "oil-for-food" program that aims to ease Iraqi suffering from the embargo imposed on Baghdad.
Oman, the only Gulf state to have maintained good ties with Iraq even during the 1990-1991 crisis, has kept an embassy in Baghdad and held a trade fair there in May 2000 - Albawaba.com
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