London, UK (UK.KRG.org) - The Kurdistan Region is open for business and British companies are welcomed, Kurdish officials told members of British Expertise, a leading trade association at a seminar last week.

Minister Falah Mustafa, Head of the Kurdistan Regional Government's Department of Foreign Relations, and Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the KRG's High Representative to the UK, were joined by Alex Lambeth, Director of British Expertise, in highlighting the business opportunities and investor-friendly laws in the region.

The seminar was part of a series of meetings by Minister Mustafa who was in the UK on an official visit. The Minister was accompanied by Siham Mamand, the Assistant Head of the DFR, and High Representative  Abdul Rahman during the visit which included meetings with British officials, parliamentarians, journalists and think tanks.

Minister Mustafa told the seminar at British Expertise, 'There is huge potential in many areas of the economy and we like to do business with the British. Foreign Secretary William Hague recognised this when he made the decision to increase the number of staff at the British Consulate in Erbil a few years ago while other British diplomatic missions were facing cuts.'

The minister outlined the key areas the KRG is promoting - tourism, agriculture and manufacturing - so that the economy is not over reliant on oil.

He also updated the meeting on political developments, relations with Turkey, the Syrian refugee crisis and the forthcoming Iraqi elections.

Ms Abdul Rahman spoke about the Kurdish economy's rapid growth over the past decade, which has been achieved thanks to high levels of security, clear economic policies that focus on services such as the provision of electricity, and the development of an oil and gas sector from scratch in the past seven years. She urged Britain to make visas access easier for business visitors, to start direct flights and for British ministers to lead trade delegations to Kurdistan in the same way as other European countries do.

British Expertise members had a range of questions, including on Kurdistan's trade relations with Scotland and Northern Ireland, the KRG's procurement methods and the impact of Syrian refugees on the economy

London, UK (UK.KRG.org) - Britain and Kurdistan Region have a partnership that should be nurtured, was the message of Kurdistan Regional Government Minister Falah Mustafa during an official visit to the UK last week.

Minister Mustafa, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, who was accompanied by Siham Mamand, Assistant Head of the DFR, and Bayan Sami Abdul Rahman, the KRG High Representative to the UK, met officials, members of the opposition, parliamentarians, journalists and think tanks to deliver the message.

In a meeting with Hugh Robertson, the UK's Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mr Mustafa said, 'We view our relationship with Britain as a partnership of choice, in education, culture, politics and economics. And we want to broaden the areas of cooperation.'

Minister Mustafa called for direct flights between the two countries and more regular visits by ministers on both sides.

During the meeting, the ministers discussed the forthcoming Iraq-wide elections which are scheduled to take place on April 30. Minister Mustafa said it was important that countries like the UK, which have a history in Iraq, continue to support timely elections and the neutrality and authority of the Independent High Electoral Commission.

They also discussed the current political crisis between Baghdad and Erbil and the rise in violence in Anbar which has led to 30,000 people fleeing from there to Kurdistan. This is in addition to the 260,000 Syrian refugees who have taken shelter in the region.

The ministers discussed the problems in Syria and the need to provide aid to people inside the country as well as refugees in neighbouring countries.

The two ministers later made keynote speeches at a ceremony organised by the KRG UK Representation and the Kurdish community to honour those who were killed in the Anfal genocide campaign.

Anfal was an eight-stage killing operation organised by Saddam Hussein's regime that  killed 182,000 people in 1988. This was the peak of a decades-long genocide against the Kurds who are now calling for Britain and other countries to recognise it.

Minister Robertson said at the ceremony, 'There is no doubt that Iraq’s Kurds suffered a terrible injustice under Saddam Hussein. It is important that we reflect on the suffering caused, extend our sympathy to all those affected and reaffirm our belief that no group should be allowed to suffer that fate again.'

This was the first time that a British minister had attended such a ceremony and its significance was acknowledged by Minister Mustafa who said, 'It is a compassionate gesture and one that carries huge significance for the people of Kurdistan as we continue in our struggle for recognition of the Kurdish genocide and the 182,000 lives lost to it.'

At the ceremony, High Representative Abdul Rahman, said, ‘The world must learn the lesson of the Kurdish genocide which is that dictators have to be stopped. Failing to tackle dictators only emboldens their greed and violence.'

Berlin, Germany (KRP.org) – The President of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, met the German Foreign Minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin yesterday.

Foreign Minister Steinmeier welcomed President Barzani to Germany and spoke about his visit to Erbil back in 2008, highlighting his desire to visit Kurdistan again soon. He added that he was aware of the rapid developments happening in Kurdistan and reiterated Germany’s commitment to working closely with Kurdistan to further strengthen bilateral relations.

For his part, President Barzani expressed his pleasure at the opportunity of once again meeting Foreign Minister Steinmeier and expressed his hope that the Foreign Minister would indeed visit Kurdistan again soon to witness first-hand the developments in the region. He added that the Kurdistan Region views its ties with Germany with great importance.

President Barzani, briefed Minister Steinmeier on the current situation in Kurdistan, the recent security developments in the Anbar province, relations between Erbil and Baghdad, the upcoming Iraqi parliamentary elections in April, the issue of oil exports via Turkey and the impact of the Syrian crisis on Kurdistan and on Iraq.

On the political challenges facing Iraq and especially the security crisis in the Anbar province, the President said, “It is important that a comprehensive solution is found for the problems facing Iraq, and the real solution is for Iraq to be committed to a federal system, which is a basic principle in Iraq’s constitution.”

“It is equally important that all sides work together in the fight against terrorism, especially at a time when they have increasingly grown in strength and now constitute a real threat to the whole region.” He highlighted the roots of the security problems in Anbar and some of the other Iraqi provinces and said that this has become a source of instability to all Iraq.

The President stressed the importance that all political groups in Iraq remain committed to holding the parliamentary elections on time, scheduled in late April this year.

On the KRG policy of exporting oil via Turkey, the President reiterated that ties between Kurdistan and Turkey are based on mutual interests, and that these ties would also serve the interest of Iraq in general. In addition he highlighted the legality of the Kurdistan Region's hydrocarbon policies which are in adherence with Iraq’s constitution.

Finally both sides discussed the latest regarding the formation of a new government in Kurdistan with President Brazani emphasizing that the priorities for Kurdistan are to maintain its security and to continue developing the Region and its economic infrastructure to improve the standards of living for all the people of the region.

The meeting was also attended by the President’s Chief of Staff, Dr Fuad Hussein, the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa and the KRG Representative to Germany, Dilshad Barzani.

Salahaddin, Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRP.org) – Kurdistan Region Presidency commends the Iraqi Council of Ministers for its approval of a draft proposal to promote Halabja, from district status to a province.

“We laud this decision by the Iraqi Council of Ministers, and hope that the Iraqi Council of Representatives also approves this as soon as possible,” the statement from the Presidency stated.

“We call on all parliamentary blocks in the Iraqi Council of Representatives to play their national role on this issue, as they did when they recognized the Anfal and the chemical bombing of Halabja as crimes of genocide. We further call on all Kurdish parliamentary blocks to work together and approach other parliamentary blocks to secure their votes on this draft law.”