Erbil, Kurdistan - Iraq (krg.org) – Following President Masoud Barzani’s recent trip to Cairo, Egypt’s deputy ministers for foreign affairs and investment visited Erbil ahead of the opening of the country's consulate in the Kurdish capital. This will make Egypt, along with Jordan, the first two Arab states to open consulates in the Kurdistan Region’s capital.

President Barzani and Prime Minister Barham Salih received Mr Muhammad Qassim, Egypt’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab affairs, Mr Ibrahim al-Ashmawi, the Deputy Minister for Investment, and Egypt’s Ambassador to Iraq.

In his meeting with President Barzani, Mr Qassim said of the future opening of the consulate, “This is only a small political step in our future relations.” The President welcomed plans to open theconsulate, which were first discussed during his recent visit to Cairo.

The President welcomed the news, adding that Kurdish-Egyptian relations date back to the turn of the century when the first Kurdish newspaper, Kurdistan, was published in Cairo. He noted that the opening of the Egyptian consulate in Erbil will lead to further investment opportunities for both sides.



According to the delegation, Egypt will target the Kurdistan Region’s tourism and agriculture sectors for investment and will to help develop the Erbil stock exchange. Deputy Investment Minister al-Ashmawi commended the Region for its attractive investment law and said one future step may be to launch flights between Cairo and Erbil.

Prime Minister Salih held a press conference following his meeting with the Egyptian delegation, which included 44 business representatives and investors. “We call on Egyptian businessmen to come to Kurdistan. Working in Erbil, Dohuk or Suleimaniah will lead to work in Basra, Nasiriyah, and other provinces.” He looked forward to Egypt playing a bigger role in Iraq and commended the decision to open a consulate in Erbil. While the Kurdistan Region has a special status as a region which is recognised in the Iraqi Constitution, it is still very much a part of a united Iraq, he said.

He also said, “We discussed the historic ties between the Kurds and the Egyptians. Egypt has always been a strong supporter of the Kurdish cause; the first Kurdish newspaper and radio station were based in Cairo.”

The Prime Minister noted that the late Egyptian President, Gamal Abdel Nasser, was the first Arab leader to receive the Kurdish leader Mustafa Barzani and the young Jalal Talabani, who is now President of Iraq. Many Kurds have graduated from Egyptian universities, especially those in Cairo such as Al-Azhar University.

Mr Qassim also spoke about the ties between Iraq and Egypt and stressed the Kurdistan Region’s important role in building a united and stable Iraq.

The meeting was attended by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Minister for Trade and Industry Sinan Chalabi, Minister for Construction and Housing Kamaran Ahmed, Minister for Municipalities and Tourism Samir Akrayi, and a representative of the KRG Investment Board.