Cairo: Minister of Communications Mustafa Sanad confirmed on Tuesday an agreement with the regional office of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) on several measures that will contribute to raising Iraq’s ranking in international telecommunications indicators. Sanad told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “the delegation he headed visited Cairo at the invitation of the ITU regional office and met with the regional office director, Adel Darwish, and his team.”
According to Iraqi News Agency, a number of issues were agreed upon that will contribute to raising Iraq’s ranking in telecommunications indicators. Sanad noted that both sides agreed to develop a clear policy consistent with the international vision for the telecommunications sector, explaining that the Ministry of Communications is constitutionally responsible for setting the sector’s policy in Iraq.
Starting from the first of next month, an academic program will begin in coordination with the ITU Academy, in addition to an agreement to provide technical and technological support in a number of areas, including the IMS system for landline telephones, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, innovation, and other fields. Sanad explained that the delegation will hold meetings during the visit with the Egyptian Minister of Communications and the regulatory body for the telecommunications sector in Egypt, while tomorrow’s agenda includes a meeting with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States.
He emphasized that the telecommunications sector is a collaborative sector, separate from political disputes, and that connectivity in the field of communications is essential. The internet is linked via cables between countries, and technology is intertwined across different nations, making the world a small village. Iraq benefits from Egypt due to its significant Arab, regional, and international influence, noting that Egypt is currently chairing the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) conference, which was held in Geneva.
Sanad affirmed that relations between Iraq and Egypt are excellent, indicating that the existence of two daily flights between the two countries, in addition to passenger bookings, reflects the depth of the relations between the two brotherly nations.
For his part, the Regional Director of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Regional Office for Arab States, Adel Darwish, affirmed that the visit of Iraqi Minister of Communications Mustafa Sanad to the regional office marks the beginning of a long-term partnership with Iraq in the telecommunications and information technology sector. Darwish told the Iraqi News Agency (INA), “The ITU Regional Office was pleased to receive the visit of the Minister of Communications of the Republic of Iraq, Mustafa Sanad. This visit represents the beginning of a long-term partnership with Iraq in the telecommunications sector, which is a very important sector.”
He added that the ITU, as a specialized agency of the United Nations, believes that the telecommunications sector plays a very important role in the national digital economy. The ITU is concerned with a number of issues, including setting international standards and benchmarks, and the practical application of these standards is crucial, in addition to capacity building across the sector as a whole. The telecommunications and information technology infrastructure has become an essential part of the digital transformation process and a vital element in the overall economic transformation of the country.
He emphasized that the role of the telecommunications sector and the Ministry of Communications is very important in shaping the future policy for the digital economy in the Republic of Iraq.