BAGHDADhardybougle314, July 13 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi prime minister on Saturday invited regional real estate investors to consider residential projects launched by the Iraqi government to relieve housing shortages.

Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani extended the invitation while receiving a delegation of Egyptian and Saudi real estate businessmen specializing in developing integrated and smart residential cities, according to a statement issued by al-Sudani's media office.

The Iraqi government has started levering investors into five planned residential projects in the capital Baghdad and some provinces and intended to launch 11 more, al-Sudani said, adding Iraq is witnessing rapid growth and recovery abundant in promising investment opportunities.

He said Iraq needs about 3 million housing units, stressing that the government is moving towards building integrated cities that include service, recreational, and commercial facilities and are linked to Baghdad by an advanced transportation network.■