Prime Minister Barzani Praises Kurdish Youth Innovation at HITEX 2026

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday praised the growing role of technology and homegrown innovation in the Region, saying its young people, rather than its natural resources, represent its greatest capital.

Speaking to Kurdistan24 presenter Snur Alani during the seventh edition of the Hawler International Technology Exhibition (HITEX) in Erbil, Prime Minister Barzani said he was particularly encouraged by young people developing their own technological innovations.

"The greatest capital of the Kurdistan Region is not its underground resources or anything else; it is its people," Prime Minister Barzani said. "Young people in particular are the greatest asset for our nation and our country."

The prime minister inaugurated HITEX 2026 on Tuesday. The four-day exhibition, running from Oct. 6 to 9 at the Erbil International Fairground, brings together more than 150 technology companies and startups from Iraq and abroad.

Artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, financial technology and other emerging sectors feature prominently at this year's event.

Prime Minister Barzani said the use of technology has expanded across the Kurdistan Region year after year, while local companies have increasingly invested in advanced technologies and made them available to citizens.

He also pointed to growing cooperation between technology companies and the Kurdistan Regional Government.

"In many respects, their work has also been integrated with that of the Kurdistan Regional Government so that the government can benefit from this technology to provide more services to citizens," he said.

Prime Minister Barzani said he was especially pleased by young innovators whose work was on display at the exhibition.

"The very fact that they are thinking about innovation is something extremely encouraging," he said.

He added that encouraging young people to develop their own ideas could help them participate directly in the development of society.

"I am pleased that they themselves have this sense that they can think innovatively and consider how they can contribute to advancing their country," Prime Minister Barzani said. "It is a source of happiness, and I am proud of them."

HITEX 2026 is expected to attract more than 50,000 visitors and includes technology companies, startups, expert speakers, panel discussions and workshops, providing local companies and young entrepreneurs with exposure to regional and international businesses.

During the same interview, Alani also asked the prime minister about the Kurdistan Region's share of Iraq's federal budget, specifically the difference between figures being discussed for the Region and what the KRG considers its entitlement.

Prime Minister Barzani said the Kurdistan Region was seeking only its constitutional and financial rights.

"We are demanding our rights. We have not asked for anything beyond what we are entitled to," he said.

The prime minister said the latest census showed that the territory currently administered by the KRG, excluding Kurdistani areas, accounts for 14.14% of Iraq's population.

"Therefore, whatever budget is allocated to the Kurdistan Region must be based on that percentage of Iraq's overall budget," Prime Minister Barzani said.

He cautioned, however, that the KRG had not officially been informed that a final decision had been made on the budget figure currently under discussion.

"There is discussion, and each side is trying in one way or another to increase the budget allocated to another party," he said.

Prime Minister Barzani said talks are continuing with Iraq's prime minister, the relevant parliamentary committee and the federal Ministry of Finance.

KRG delegations are also continuing to travel to Baghdad for negotiations aimed at securing what Erbil considers the Region's full financial entitlements.

"We will continue our efforts," Prime Minister Barzani said.

The interview therefore touched on two issues central to the KRG's current agenda: developing a technology-driven economy in which young people play a greater role, and continuing negotiations with Baghdad over the Kurdistan Region's share of federal finances.

At HITEX, however, Prime Minister Barzani placed particular emphasis on the first of those themes, the ability of a new generation to create rather than simply consume technology.

For the prime minister, the young innovators he met at the exhibition represented what he described as the Kurdistan Region's most important resource: its people.