Some 50 foreign companies from 22 different countries have so far committed to investing over 15 billion US Dollars in the energy sector in the Kurdistan Region.
Our neighbour Turkey has been the quickest to embrace the new realities of the region.
It has built a sustainable relationship of mutual interests with the Kurdistan Regional Government, based on trade, security and strategic co-operation.
The Kurdistan Region, in this context, has proven that it can be a crucial partner to Turkey and indeed the broader international community.
The KRG believes that Turkish entry to the European Union would create new opportunities for exporters and investors, and better link Germany and Europe to markets and especially energy sources in central Asia and the Near East.
With Europe’s energy consumption expected to increase in the years to come, it is clear that new and more diverse sources of energy are required.
For Kurdistan and Iraq the prospect of being at the centre of the EU’s future energy plans is a supreme opportunity.
Distinguished Guests,
The strategic potential of the Kurdistan Region has increased in recent years and our hope for a bright and just future is replacing the dread and fear of the old times.
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is a worthy ally. Since 2003, not one foreign soldier has been killed in our area, which is safe and secure even by Western standards.
The Kurdish security forces, or peshmerga, have played an important role in combating terrorism and contributing to the stability of the whole country.
Kurdish politicians have been working with their Arab partners in Baghdad to secure the foundations of Iraqi democracy… though there is still a long way to go.
Our oil policies are based on cooperation and
coordination, not confrontation.
The KRG will pursue sustainable development at home and mutually beneficial trade relations abroad, and all Iraq will benefit.
There is still much work to be done, but the Kurdistan Region is now firmly on the regional, and indeed global, energy map.
Thank you
(Source: KRG)
(Picture: Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani with German Chancellor Angela Merkel)
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