The Cabinet held its regular meeting on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi.

At the start of the meeting, the Prime Minister reviewed the general situation in the country, developments in the security situation, the efforts of the security services in pursuing terrorist remnants and criminal gangs, and their plans to protect power pylons from sabotage.

The Prime Minister also referred to the global economic crisis, its repercussions on Iraq, and the measures taken by the government to alleviate the impact of the crisis on Iraqis.

The Cabinet received a detailed report on the health measures to control the Coronavirus pandemic, the decrease in the number of cases, andthe ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Health to ensure the availability of vaccines in all health care institutions throughout Iraq.

Following discussions, the Cabinet agreed several decisions, including:

• The suspension of the requirement of import licenses for foodstuffs, consumables, and medicines while maintaining inspection and quality control procedures, health checks, and agricultural and veterinary quarantines at border crossings until June 8, 2022.

• Establishing a committee chaired by the Prime Minister’s Adviser for Economic Affairswithrepresentatives from the Ministry of Agriculture, the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the National Security Agency, and the Ministries of Finance and Trade, to study the procedures for importing eggs and poultry in a way that guarantees fair and stable prices.

Authorising the Director-General of the General Authority for Taxes in the Ministry of Finance to negotiate a draft agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of tax evasion on income and capital, between the Government of the Republic of Iraq and the governments of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka, the Slovak Republic,the State of Qatar, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, and the Republic of Romania.