Iraqi businesspeople want to increase their investment in Turkey as they see the country as a safe harbor, Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) Turkey-Iraq Business Council Chairperson Halit Acar said.

Emphasizing the increasing trade volume between Turkey and Iraq, Acar told Anadolu Agency (AA) that Turkey made exports of $9.1 billion to Iraq in 2020 and $11.1 billion in 2021.

"The current trade volume between the two countries stands at $19 billion. Hopefully, these figures will be much higher in 2022. When we look at the January-March numbers, it is seen that there is an increase in our trade," he said.

Acar noted that Iraqi businesspeople are extremely interested in Turkey.

"We foresee that the trade volume will reach at least $25 billion in 2022. We have meetings in Iraq in this regard. Iraqi businesspeople want to invest in Turkey as they aim to keep their investments in a safe harbor. And Turkey is one of these countries. The relationship between the two countries, both culturally and economically, has been improving. Iraqi businesspeople are interested in energy and manufacturing factories in Turkey," he said.

Acar added that Iraqi authorities want to attract more investments in agriculture, and are providing many incentives such as giving free land for agricultural activities.