Jordan Times
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
100 Iraqi businessmen
expected at JOFREX
By Rami Abdelrahman
AMMAN — The Jordanian-French Exhibition (JOFREX)
will provide a platform for Jordanian, French and Arab businesses to enter the
Iraqi market, officials said Monday.
More than 100 Iraqi businessmen are expected to participate in the exhibition to
be held under the patronage of His Majesty King Abdullah between May 11-14.
According to Abdullah Nsour, the head of the French-Jordanian Business Club,
Iraqi ministers and the mayor of Baghdad will also be participating in the
conference to enlighten traders and industrialists about doing business with
Iraq under the current circumstances.
French Ambassador Jean-Michel Casa said France is ready to reinforce trade
exchange with Iraq, adding that the conference will provide many opportunities
for companies looking for businesses in Iraq.
Casa added that French companies and agents representing French firms will be
participating in the exhibition.
At a workshop on “new conditions to access business in Iraq,” Iraqi officials
will deliver a keynote speech, followed by other speeches from Jordanian and
Iraqi businessmen.
Participants in the exhibition, the first of its kind in the Kingdom, will seek
means to increase two-way trade, exchange of expertise, and increase trade
exchange with the EU at large, he said.
Casa stressed that the exhibition will strengthen Jordan's position as a gateway
to doing business with the Middle East.
Currently, there are about $700 million of French investments in Jordan, but the
amount is expected to grow soon when France Telecom buys more shares in Jordan
Telecom, according to the embassy's commercial counsellor Olivier Noury.
He added that French exports to the Kingdom reached euros 200 million last year,
while Jordanian exports to France reached euros 10 million.