ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A delegation of businessmen from Kurdish provinces of Diyarbakir and Sirnak in Turkey visited Erbil to help restore Ankara-Erbil economic and political relations ahead of an expected visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu next week.
“We have come here to bring both communities close to each other, typically now that Erbil-Diyarbakir, Erbil-Gaziantep flights began and Sulaimani-Istanbul flights resumed,” Mehmet Kaya, head of Diyarbakir Trade and Industry Chamber (DTSO), told Rudaw on Monday.
“The recent [economic] crisis in Turkey resulted from the decrease of foreign trade and export,” Kaya said, suggesting Turkey is eager to develop trade relations with neighboring countries to improve its own economy.
Cavusoglu’s expected visit is part of an effort to “re-develop” relations with the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) “not only in terms of economics but also politics,” Kaya said.
“We can see that these efforts are directed towards the redevelopment of relations.”
Two delegations from the DTSO and Sirnak Chamber of Trade, consisting of 50 businessmen, participated in the 11th International Building and Construction Municipality Equipment Fair, which kicked off in Erbil on Monday and will last four days.
Some 200 firms are taking part in the fair, including 150 foreign companies from 15 countries alongside 50 local firms. Thirty-nine are from Turkey.
Erbil-Ankara relations were harmed in late 2017 during the Kurdistan independence referendum. However, unlike Iran, Turkey did not close its borders with the Kurdistan Region.
Iraq-Turkey trade volume stands at around $10 billion. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a press conference in March alongside his Iraqi counterpart Barham Salih they want to expand this further.
“Let’s increase it to $20 billion. We want to keep it at this level or even double it. We have the power to do this. The Turkish private sector is capable of revitalizing the Iraqi economy,” Erdogan said.
Nevin ?l, a member of DTSO’s executive board, told Rudaw they have visited Kurdistan Region three times in 2019. The Region’s chambers of commerce have likewise been invited to fairs in Diyarbakir.
She said it is “very important” for Turkey to have good trade relations with the Kurdistan Region as they share a long border.
“Before the region experienced [the ISIS] conflict, Iraq – particularly the Kurdistan Region – came second in trade with Turkey following Germany,” she said. “We are working on re-strengthening these relations and increasing the trade volume.”
?l believes Erbil is “as secure as Diyarbakir and Istanbul” and that the Kurdistan Region has “very strong markets and opportunities. I believe it is a secure place for business.”
Turkish Consul General to Erbil Hakan Karacay told Rudaw the “contracting sector has an important presence in Iraq. Turkish companies have undertaken very significant works in Iraq and we will undertake many more projects, contributing greatly to the infrastructure of the region.”
Turkish companies are using such trade fairs to increase their projects in Iraq, he added.
Reporting from Gulbahar Altas