28 february 2008

Erbil, Kurdistan - Iraq (KRG.org) – Mrs Margaret Huber, the Canadian Ambassador to Iraq, this week for the first time visited the Kurdistan Region to identify public and private sector opportunities for cooperation.

On her three-day visit, she was accompanied by a delegation of officials from Canada’s foreign affairs ministry and from the embassy’s international trade and commerce sections. They will write a report on their visit and recommend commercial opportunities here to Canadian businesses.

Ambassador Huber and her delegation were in Erbil for three days to identify public and private sector opportunities for cooperation between the Kurdistan Region and Canada.
At a reception for Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) officials, members of the business and diplomatic communities, UN personnel and NGO representatives, Ambassador Huber said, “I am heartened by the high level of cooperation I've been afforded at all levels of the Kurdistan Regional Government and delighted at the openness to international cooperation that I’ve experienced in the Kurdistan Region.”

The Ambassador added, “All too often foreigners do not have an accurate understanding of what is really happening inside Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. I want to change that.”
On the KRG’s behalf Mr Falah Mustafa Bakir, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations, thanked Ambassador Huber for her visit. He said, “The clear vision of the Region’s leadership embraces expansion and cooperation with the outside world. We are dedicated to building a bright future for our region, and all of Iraq. The KRG is grateful for Ambassador Huber’s visit and looks forward to strong relations with Canada.”

Minister Bakir continued, “We want the world to know that the Kurdistan Region is stable, peaceful and on the road to prosperity. Because of this, we hope foreign companies will come to the Kurdistan Region and use it as a launching pad from which to expand into the rest of Iraq. As Prime Minister Barzani points out, the Kurdistan Region is open for business and while our natural resources have attracted much attention to date, there are a wide range of investment opportunities in agriculture, industry, tourism, infrastructure, and the financial sectors. I know that with Ambassador Huber’s help, Canada and the Kurdistan Region can become greater friends and business partners.”

Ambassador Huber met President Masoud Barzani, Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani, other senior KRG officials, and figures from the private and non-governmental sectors. She has served as Canada’s ambassador to Iraq and Jordan since July 2007. This is her first visit to the Kurdistan Region.