Egypt and Iraq signed on Thursday a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the field of communications and information technology and fighting cybercrimes.
The agreement was signed in the presence of Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and the Iraqi and Egyptian ministers of telecommunications, Arkan Shahab Ahmed and Amr Talaat.
Meeting with Shahab Ahmed on Thursday, Madbouly underscored President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's directives to the Egyptian government to exert all possible efforts to boost cooperation with Baghdad.
Shahab Ahmed praised the level and progress of the telecommunications and information technology sector in Egypt, indicating that the cooperation with Egypt in this field will bring optimal benefit to the Iraqi telecommunications sector.
He said that Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi had underlined instructions to his government to establish strong partnership with Egypt to benefit from its expertise in the latest IT trends and advances.
Shahab Ahmed had arrived in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, at the head of a delegation on an official visit.
For his part, Talaat said the areas of cooperation between both countries include exchanging experiences to build a digital society and an involved digital government.
The two parties agreed to “utilize the available capabilities in the field of telecommunications to support and develop cooperation.”
They also hope the agreement will contribute to the growth of digital infrastructure, through the exchange of experiences and knowledge in order to enhance Internet access for individuals and public and private institutions at reasonable prices.”
Egypt and Iraq said the agreement would support fixed and mobile networks in terms of coverage and the ability to improve efficiency. It helps both parties attract investments and increase the contribution of the telecommunications sector to the economy.