Germany’s Federal Minister of Transport, Building, and Urban Development, Peter Ramsauer, led a business delegation to Erbil to meet Kurdistan Regional Government officials and participate in the first Germany-Kurdistan Region economic forum.
The German delegation met Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, who thanked them for their willingness to be part of the Kurdistan Region’s development process. “We welcome German companies to the Kurdistan Region. They can play a crucial role in the process of developing our region and we assure the German companies of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) full support and assistance,” he said.
Several KRG ministers and officials attended the meeting between Prime Minister Barzani and Minister Ramsauer. The KRG Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) organised and coordinated the economic forum and the German delegation’s two-day visit to the Kurdistan Region.
At the opening of the economic forum, the Minister of Housing and Reconstruction Kamaran Ahmed emphasized the importance of furthering relationships particularly in the fields of economy, trade and industry. He said, “This forum is a good opportunity for German businessmen to learn more about the business opportunities and business climate in the Kurdistan Region as well as to exchange views with Kurdish businessmen to build strong relations for future cooperation.”
Minister Ramsauer said, “The Kurdistan Region is in a developing stage. There are tremendous investment and development opportunities in the Kurdistan Region and German companies are ready to offer their expertise and knowledge and are willing to participate in the process of developing the Kurdistan Region”, he said.
Several ministers, high-ranking officials, 50 German companies and Kurdish business representatives participated in the economic forum. It was concluded by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Council of Municipalities of Erbil Governorate and the German firm AJG Ingenieure GmbH.
