Saleh’s statement: Joining the Maritime Aid Organization enhances confidence in Iraqi ports.
Saleh’s statement: Joining the Maritime Aid Organization enhances confidence in Iraqi ports.
2026/05/26
The financial advisor to the Prime Minister, Mazhar Muhammad Saleh, confirmed on Tuesday that Iraq’s accession to the agreement establishing the International Maritime Aid Organization enhances investors’ confidence in Iraqi ports and reduces transportation costs, noting that the step of joining the international organization supports the development of the Faw port and the diversification of the Iraqi economy.
Saleh said in a press statement followed by Al-Furat News that “this joining is not limited to being a technical or organizational procedure, but it carries important economic and strategic dimensions that would contribute to modernizing the Iraqi maritime navigation system and raising the efficiency of port and waterway management in accordance with modern international standards, indicating that this is integrated with the strategy of the Faw port and its importance in the future of Iraq’s economic geography with the world.”
He added that “joining will contribute to enhancing maritime navigation safety, reducing risks and accidents, and improving the movement of commercial vessels in Iraqi ports, which will positively impact the flow of trade and reduce transportation costs and delays.” He pointed out that “adopting international standards in pilotage and navigational aids will increase the confidence of global transport and investment companies in Iraqi ports, giving Iraq a greater opportunity to attract logistical and commercial investments, especially with the major strategic projects that Iraq is working on, foremost among them the Development Road project.”
Saleh explained that “developing the maritime and port sector will contribute to boosting non-oil revenues by increasing port fees, logistics and maritime transport resources, which supports the state’s direction towards diversifying the economy and reducing dependence on rentier resources,” indicating that “joining allows Iraq to benefit from international expertise and technical training and development programs, which helps to build specialized national cadres capable of managing a modern and advanced maritime sector.”
He stressed that “this step represents a positive indicator of Iraq’s orientation towards openness to specialized international institutions and organizations and working to build an advanced maritime infrastructure that keeps pace with the requirements of the global economy and the movement of global trade.”
He explained that the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities and Aids to Navigation (IALA) was founded in 1957 as a non-governmental technical organization concerned with developing guidance and maritime navigation aid systems and unifying safety standards in maritime navigation around the world, before it officially became an international governmental organization on August 22, 2024, after its convention entered into force.
The Cabinet had approved a draft law on Iraq’s accession to the Convention Establishing the International Organization for Maritime Aid and referred it to the House of Representatives.
alforatnews.iq
