From October 26-29 in Istanbul, Turkey, CLDP, in collaboration with the US Consulate in Basrah, hosted consultations between representatives of the Governorate of Basrah, the City of Houston, and US businesses. The Governorate of Basrah delegation was led by Deputy Governor Dr. Dhurgham Al Ajwadi.  The US delegation, which was led by Mayor Pro-Tem Edward Gonzalez of the City of Houston and Ms. Aida Idrissi of the US-Arab Bilateral Chamber of Commerce, consisted of 13 representatives of US companies committed to fostering a mutual commercial engagement between Houston and Basrah.  The program developed a preliminary agenda for a US study tour for the Governor of Basrah and a private-public sector delegation to take place 2015. The consultations were conducted on the margins of the Basrah Oil, Gas, and Infrastructure Conference, which familiarized the delegation with Basrah’s procurement plans for 2015 and helped foster ties with local Iraqi business partners.