Kurdistan Investment Board Chairman Highlights Key Cooperation Areas with Spain's Murcia
Mohammad Shukri, Chairman of the Kurdistan Region Investment Board, said the partnership aims not only to attract investment but also to transfer knowledge and expertise from Spanish companies to develop local capacities.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Chairman of the Kurdistan Region Investment Board outlined key areas for expanding economic cooperation with Spain's Murcia region on Wednesday, highlighting tourism, higher education, agriculture, and industrial development as strategic sectors where Spanish expertise can help strengthen the Kurdistan Region's economy.
Speaking to Kurdistan24 on the sidelines of the Joint Economic Forum between the Kurdistan Region and Spain's Murcia region, Mohammad Shukri, Chairman of the Kurdistan Region Investment Board, said the partnership aims not only to attract investment but also to transfer knowledge and expertise from Spanish companies to develop local capacities.
Shukri described heritage tourism as one of the most promising fields for cooperation, stressing the Kurdistan Region's rich historical and cultural assets.
"Heritage tourism is of special importance to us in the Kurdistan Region," he said. "Through cooperation with foreign companies, particularly Spanish firms, we aim to enhance the skills and expertise of our local workforce to attract more visitors to the Region's historical and tourist destinations."
He also identified higher education as a key pillar of the growing relationship, noting that academic exchanges would benefit both sides.
"Our students are currently pursuing master's and doctoral degrees here in Spain," Shukri said. "We want to expand this exchange by enabling more of our students to come here to learn the Spanish language and culture, while also encouraging Spanish students to visit the Kurdistan Region to conduct academic research at our universities."
Turning to agriculture and the food industry, Shukri said the sectors present significant opportunities for joint investment and partnerships, adding that Spanish experience could contribute to the modernization of the Kurdistan Region's agricultural and food-processing industries.
He added that the Kurdistan Region continues to witness steady growth across infrastructure, industrial development, dam construction, and food processing, expressing confidence that greater participation by Spanish companies would accelerate the Region's long-term economic development.
The remarks come as the Kurdistan Region continues efforts to strengthen economic ties with Spain through investment partnerships and knowledge exchange.
The Kurdistan Region–Spain Economic Forum officially opened on Monday in Murcia, bringing together more than 80 companies from both sides to explore new trade and investment opportunities in tourism, industry, healthcare, construction, urban development, and other service sectors.
Leading the Kurdistan Region delegation, Shukri presented the Region's investment climate to Spanish businesses, highlighting incentives including the Kurdistan Region's Investment Law, administrative support, tax exemptions, and legal protections for foreign investors. Business-to-business meetings were also held during the forum, with several memorandums of understanding and commercial agreements expected to be signed in the coming period.
The forum reflects growing economic relations between the Kurdistan Region and Spain, which maintain official diplomatic representation through Spain's Honorary Consulate in Erbil and the Kurdistan Regional Government's Representative Office in Madrid. Spanish companies have increasingly expressed interest in investment opportunities in the Kurdistan Region, particularly in infrastructure, vocational training, and agro-industry, as both sides seek to expand long-term commercial partnerships.