Foreign Minister Giulio Terzi met the President of the Regional Government of Iraqi Kurdistan, Massoud Barzani, at the Farnesina today. The Kurdish leader is visiting Rome to attend an Alliance of Democrats meeting.
The discussions highlighted Italy and Iraqi Kurdistan’s mutual intention to further develop their already close commercial relations. They also confirmed the Italian business community’s growing interest in Iraq, for which we are the leading European trading partner, and in Kurdistan. About 30 Italian companies are already operating there, and demand for the “Made in Italy” brand is showing strong growth.
Minister Terzi underscored the excellent work done by the Italian Embassy’s “branch” office opened by the Foreign Ministry in Erbil in 2011. The office has helped boost the Italian commercial presence and organise numerous trade missions, and has encouraged Kurdish companies to attend trade fairs and promotional events in Italy.
Barzani thanked Minister Terzi for the initiatives funded by Italian Development Cooperation in the region, in the health and archaeology sectors. He noted the excellent results achieved in university collaboration, thanks not least to the agreement recently signed by the Italian Embassy and the Kurdish Education Ministry.
Minister Terzi and President Barzani’s discussion also focused on regional issues, most notably the Syrian crisis and its dramatic humanitarian repercussion for the region.
