US trade delegation visit to Erbil 'monumental': Consul
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Consul General to Erbil Gwendolyn Green said on Monday that the US trade delegation's visit to the Kurdish capital is "monumental" and encouraged more US investment in the Kurdistan Region.
"I want to thank the US Chamber of Commerce for organizing this trade delegation. It is monumental, and it is a real statement about the future of the US and the Kurdistan Region relationship as we move forward," she said during a speech delivered to an investment conference in Erbil, attended by American and Kurdish officials.
She said that "the United States Department of Commerce has recognized this trade delegation, which is really important because it goes to show how much of a commitment that the United States has in building these relationships between here and Washington.”
A delegation of more than 30 United States companies, certified by the US Chamber of Commerce, participated in the investment conference in Erbil on Monday to discuss investment opportunities across a wide range of sectors in the Kurdistan Region.
This is “the largest delegation to date” to have visited the Kurdistan Region and had the endorsement of the US Department of Commerce, Steve Lutes, director of the US Chamber of Commerce’s Middle East Affairs division, told Rudaw.
He hoped they would see “more companies using this as a springboard to come and do business in the Region,” adding the visiting delegation aims to discuss "commercial opportunities and investments.”
The United States currently ranks sixth among countries with the highest number of companies in the Kurdistan Region, according to data Rudaw has obtained from relevant authorities in Erbil.
Washington and Erbil enjoy close ties. The US has been a key supporter of the Kurdistan Region since it gained autonomy in the 1990s, backing the development of the Kurdish Peshmerga, leading the global coalition against ISIS, and supporting ongoing reform efforts. The US is also preparing to open a new consulate general in Erbil, set to be the largest in the world.
The visit of the US business delegation comes five months after the Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce signed an agreement in Baghdad to enhance private sector cooperation between their countries, at a critical time when Iraq was seeking to mitigate the impact of Washington’s tariffs increase on a wide range of its goods.
"This dynamic region is hungry for US investment in products. And you all are well placed as a part of this trade mission to make the connections that you need to feed that hunger,” the US consul general noted in her speech. .
Safeen Dizayee, head of the Kurdistan Region's Department of Foreign Relations (DFR), welcomed the delegation in a speech, highlighting historic relations between Kurds and Americans.
He said US investment will not just cover the Kurdistan Region's population but the whole of Iraq.
"Kurdistan, with a population of 6.5 million, may be limited, but there's a greater market. The rest of Iraq, over 40 million. Therefore, Kurdistan can be used as a hub to expand their business in future years. This is something which we've encouraged as a government. We believe the government should stay out of business and leave business to the business leaders," he said.
"Any company who is interested in that area, we will be welcoming them, and we are ready to engage them to explore that field even further," he stated, adding that they are working on a project to form a group of business leaders to visit the US in the coming months.
"We are working on a paper which will be a joint effort. And as we have done so with the French, with the Italians, with the Dutch, with the British," he said.
[Source: Rûdaw English]
