Kurdistan Region, Turkey to strengthen economic ties

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Acting Minister of Natural Resources Kamal Mohammed Salih on Tuesday received Turkish Consul General to Erbil Mehmet Mevlut Yakut, according to a statement from the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources.

The KRG Minister of Natural Resources stressed strengthening relations between the ministry and Turkish companies. He also reaffirmed the ministry's willingness to support and assist Turkish companies.

Moreover, the Turkish Consul General expressed his gratitude to the KRG Ministry of Natural Resources. He reciprocated Salih's call to strengthen relations between his country's companies and the KRG Ministries of Electricity and Natural Resources.

Another topic of the meeting was the Erbil-Baghdad negotiations, in which Salih confirmed that the negotiations are continuing and have progressed.

Earlier, Gaylan Haji Saeed, president of the Erbil Importers and Exporters Union, told Kurdistan 24 that trade between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey reached a high of nearly $12 billion.

Previously on June 20, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani arrived in Turkey's Ankara, where he met with senior Turkish officials, including newly-appointed Foreign Minister Hakan Fadan. Barzani and Fidan discussed three main topics, including enhancing bilateral ties, trade relations as well as the latest developments in Iraq and the region. 

Turkey and the Kurdistan Region share close economic and political ties. Thousands of Turkish companies in various sectors operate in the Kurdistan Region. 

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