The Kurdish Chamber of Commerce has hosted a reception ceremony in Erbil for welcoming a large British trade delegation, headed by Baroness Emma Nicholson, Executive Chairman of the Iraq Britain Business Council.
The delegation team that had visited Kurdistan recently includes the British Government trade department, business representatives and trade officials from the UK Trade & Investment (UKTI), and the Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) which is a non-profit British organization with office in Erbil since 2012. Iraq Britain Business Council (IBBC) offers trade exchanges and looks for new scopes or opportunities in Iraq as well as in Kurdistan region.
Minister Falah Mustafa, the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations stated, “When we talk about our relations with the UK, we remember how, in 1991, Britain played a major role in establishing a safe haven in the Kurdistan Region that helped us reach where we are today.”
He also shared his optimism on British – Kurdish relationship. He is hoping that British companies will soon join Kurdish region for investing in various ongoing and upcoming projects of the region.
The British Consul General, Hugh Evans, pointing out the notable size of this joint delegation, highlighted the year-on-year increase in the number of companies wanting to join trade missions and the growing interest in doing business in Kurdistan.
The Kurdistan region is growing thick and fast recently. Plenty of sectors in this region are observing steady leap and amidst this steady business growth within the region, it is clear that foreign companies are highly interested for investing in this region. Few sector, which are observing boom in the region are healthcare, education, consultancy works, etc.
He reiterated Minister Mustafa’s words, saying, “The presence of this large delegation here helps us achieve our aims, which are to make Great Britain a partner of choice to Kurdistan.” Baroness Nicholson expressed her pleasure of being in Kurdistan and spoke about her hopes for an increase in the presence of UK companies in Iraq as a whole and in Kurdistan in particular.
He remarked, “I am very proud that the IBBC has now got an office in Erbil and am sure this will only help enhance our business relations.”
The Head of the Kurdistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Dara Jalil Khayat, spoke about the activities of the chamber and their members and expressed his hopes for the relationship to continue to work both ways in which the Kurdish companies are able to visit the UK with ease to explore the business and investment opportunities in Britain.
Mr Khayat thanked the KRG Department of Foreign Relations and the KRG Representative Office in the UK for their ongoing efforts and assistance in fostering these relations between Kurdistan and the United Kingdom.