Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq - (DFR.krg.org) – The Italian Consul in Erbil, Mr Carmelo Ficarra, met today with the Head of the KRG Department of Foreign Relations, Minister Falah Mustafa, and was accompanied by a large delegation of Italian businessmen. The delegation included representatives from companies already working in Kurdistan and others planning on working here in the near future.
Minister Mustafa welcomed the delegation on behalf of the DFR and conveyed his appreciation to Mr Ficarra on the efforts he and his colleagues at the Italian Consular Office are making to ensure these types of visits continue to increase. He outlined the current business conditions in Kurdistan, highlighting the security and stability as well as laws and regulations as important factors that have resulted in real business opportunities and increased interest from companies worldwide.
The Italian delegation briefed Minister Mustafa on the different areas and sectors in which they operate in, which include key sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and architecture. Minister Mustafa said, ‘According to figures from the KRG Ministry of Planning, US $32 billion is needed in investment to help meet Kurdistan’s infrastructural needs. Hence we welcome you all and we hope to see more Italian companies visiting Kurdistan.’
Mr Ficarra thanked the Department of Foreign Relations for their assistance in facilitating the visit of these companies and spoke about the importance that Italy places to its relationship with the Kurdistan Region. He added that further events were in the pipeline to help strengthen economic relations between both sides.
The meeting was also attended by the Deputy Head of the DFR, Karwan Jamal.
Monday, 10 Feb 2014