Shafaqna English- Iraq is officially pursuing its bid to have Baghdad designated as the Islamic Capital of Tourism for 2028. The meeting, held on the sidelines of the third Arab Tourism Statistics Forum in Baghdad, saw Minister Tamim host Zehra Selcuk, the director of the OIC’s Statistical, Economic and Social Research and Training Centre (SESRIC). According to a statement from the Ministry of Planning, the two sides discussed shared cooperation in various fields, with a particular focus on tourism investment. This new bid for 2028 is a strategic follow-up to Baghdad’s recent designation as the Arab Tourism Capital for 2025. The meeting also covered Iraq’s upcoming presidency of the Islamic Research Center in 2026.