Spain uses football diplomacy to boost ties with Kurdistan: Ambassador

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Europe will once again have access to Kurdish oil now that exports have resumed, Madrid’s ambassador to Iraq said, highlighting Spain’s deepening trade ties and cultural collaboration with the Kurdistan Region, including through football.

“We truly commend it,” Alicia Rico Perez said of the recent agreement between Erbil, Baghdad, and oil producers that resulted in resumed exports. “This is a commendable effort by the Iraqi Prime Minister [Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani], the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG], and the international oil companies involved. It’s a very positive step. It will contribute to the stability of the country.”

“For Europe, we’ll once again have access to oil from the Kurdistan Region. Spain imports oil from Iraq, so for us, this is also good news,” she added in an interview with Rudaw's Shahyan Tahseen.

The Kurdistan Region’s oil exports resumed earlier this month after Baghdad, Erbil and the producers reached a three-month agreement. Exports were halted in March 2023 when a Paris-based arbitration court ruled that Ankara had violated a 1973 pipeline agreement by allowing Erbil to independently export oil beginning in 2014.

The Spanish ambassador said that Madrid is actively exploring investment opportunities in the Kurdistan Region, with a particular focus on the infrastructure and agricultural sectors.

“Kurdistan has been quite a safe region for some time and there really aren't any big security issues that would prevent them,” she said, adding that challenges like corruption and legislative hurdles are now bigger concerns than security across the rest of Iraq.

On football diplomacy, the ambassador acknowledged the massive popularity of Spanish football in the Kurdistan Region, which has led to fruitful cultural cooperation. She confirmed that major Spanish clubs are invested in developing local talent.

“Yes, I think it's fantastic to see the passion and the love for Spanish football, the Spanish league, and for Barça and Real Madrid,” she said.

In collaboration with the Iraqi Football Federation, La Liga has a project to foster local talent, with training and development efforts reaching into the Kurdistan Region, including Duhok.

Spanish football heavyweights Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are expanding their presence in the Kurdistan Region and Iraq through academy and social initiatives.

Real Madrid in August announced plans to launch a youth football academy in Erbil that will train children aged 6 to 14, mirroring the Spanish method. Real Madrid's spokesperson in Iraq, Naeem Saddam, confirmed to Rudaw at the time, "We aim to build a high-quality stadium and sports infrastructure in Erbil that reflect the Real Madrid name." This follows the establishment of the club's first academy in Iraq in October 2023.

FC Barcelona’s Barca Foundation launched the "Hope League" in May 2025, an initiative to open community football schools in Erbil and Sulaimani. These schools, which started sessions in June 2025, aim to promote peace and social cohesion.

Below is the full transcript of the interview with Spanish Ambassador to Iraq, Alicia Rico Perez.

Rudaw: Madame Ambassador, thank you so much for being with us.

Alicia Rico Perez: Thank you. I'm very happy to be here and to finally have a meeting with journalists from Rudaw Media, which I truly commend for its good work and professionalism.

It's our pleasure. Thank you very much. I’ll start with the election campaign. As you know, the elections and the campaign to encourage citizens to vote in Iraq and Kurdistan have begun. How do you evaluate the process so far?

Yes, I think these are very important elections. They’re the sixth elections since the end of the former [Baath] regime [led by Saddam Hussein], and that’s a testimony to the maturity of Iraqi democracy. We really hope they will be peaceful, fair, and transparent. What I think is really important is for Iraqis - including Kurds here in Kurdistan - to participate in these elections, because turnout is crucial. In past elections, we've seen quite low participation, so I would really encourage people to vote.

How can you encourage people to vote or participate in the electoral process?

I think it’s especially important to engage the younger population. Iraq has a very young population - around 60 percent are under 25 - and many will be voting for the first time. So, I mean, it's to raise awareness about the importance of really contributing to the future of this country, because the next government is, I think, going to have a crucial role.

There have been many changes in Iraq, and the country is in a new phase. A lot of reforms are needed, and the people must decide who will govern for the next four years.

Moving to the tripartite agreement between Erbil and Baghdad about Kurdistan's oil - new agreement has been reached. Can you tell us your country’s opinion or your own comment on this development?

We truly commend it. I think it’s very good news that, finally, after more than two years, oil is flowing again through the pipeline to Turkey. This is a commendable effort by the Iraqi Prime Minister [Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani], the Kurdistan Regional Government [KRG], and the international oil companies [IOCs] involved. It’s a very positive step. It will contribute to the stability of the country and also attract more investment in Kurdistan, which is very important.

SOMO stated that they concluded an agreement to export part of Kurdistan's oil to Europe. What benefits will this bring to Iraq, Kurdistan, and Europe?

Well, obviously, for Kurdistan, it’s certainly good news. More importantly, it shows that an agreement has finally been reached between Erbil and Baghdad, which previously caused a lot of tension. So, this is a positive development. For Europe, we’ll once again have access to oil from the Kurdistan Region. Spain imports oil from Iraq, so for us, this is also good news.

Can you tell me in which areas or sectors is Spain interested in investing, especially in Kurdistan or Iraq?

In Kurdistan, one of the first projects that Spain had in Iraq was here in Kurdistan. And there was a Spanish factory that invested in - a Spanish company, sorry - that invested in a brick factory, for example. So that is... then we're also interested in the infrastructure domain.

Like, right after this interview, I will accompany a Spanish delegation, business delegation, to see the Minister of Reconstruction and Housing to speak also about a possible project in the infrastructure sector. And this company has already done a feasibility study for a railway network. And these are just two examples. But I think there's also possibilities in the agricultural sector, in the agro-industry. And obviously, we're very open to whatever opportunities are here in Kurdistan. I think the Kurdish representation also in Spain is organizing a trade and commercial mission to Spanish companies here to Kurdistan, with our support, of course.

Are there any security challenges or concerns for Spanish companies to prevent them from coming to Iraq or investing in Iraq and Kurdistan?

Well, Kurdistan has been quite a safe region for some time, and there really aren't any big security issues that would prevent them. As for the rest of the country, there is a great interest now, I think now where, as I said before, it's a new period. I think that it's quite admirable how the security has improved in the country.

And we obviously do think that more can be done. But apart from security, I think it's more about, as I said yesterday in the panel, about improving the business climate, and certain legislation that has to be passed by the parliament and confronting issues, obviously, also like we all know, like some corruption and obstacles that can prevent foreign investment from coming in. But it's not so much now the security, because we really do think that the situation in Iraq is much, much better.

So do you think that the threat of [the Islamic State] ISIS or armed groups outside of the state is no longer a threat to Iraq's security or states?

I think ISIS has been really defeated in Iraq. But as the Iraqi authorities say - because I think they're the ones that should really prove it - I mean, there are still remnants, that's obvious. And it's always something that you have to control.

And there still is a threat. And obviously, the situation in Syria also has an impact because it could be... we have to prevent ISIS from growing strong again. But considering armed factions, as I mentioned yesterday, the best thing would be for the state to have the monopoly of the arms.

And that would be what I think, not only the government, but a lot of political actors in Iraq and even the most important religious authority for the Shia, Sayed Sistani, has said it.

Madam Ambassador, you mentioned a business mission between Kurdistan and Spanish companies. Can you tell me more about it, please?

Well, actually, it's a representation of the Kurdistan Regional Government in Madrid that's organizing it. And they have asked for support, obviously. And I think they're preparing for it now. I don't know when it will take place, but I know that they want to organize it.

It's an activity between KRG representatives in Spain, in Madrid?

No, here. They will come here. Spanish companies will come here.

Two years ago, I was in Baghdad. As I mentioned before, I told you, I had the privilege to meet the ambassador of Spain back then. And he told me that they are planning to open an office or a representative of Spain here in Kurdistan. When do you plan it?

Well, I don't... I didn't know that he had said that. Actually, you know, I try to come to Kurdistan as much as possible. I've been in Iraq for one year, and I've come to Kurdistan, you know, four times more or less, and I try to come regularly. You know, we're sometimes constrained - all countries are - by, you know, budgetary restrictions. So, for the moment, I think it's difficult, but we don't know in the future.

I've said that because you have a really huge fan base of football, of Spanish football here in Kurdistan, and also in Iraq too, especially Real Madrid and Barcelona. Have you noticed that?

Yes, yes, yes. No, actually, it's fantastic. I think that people know Spain because of the Spanish league, but it's…

And not from Spanish dramas and series?

Yes, they're very active. Netflix. Yeah. Casa de Papel, for example. Yes. No, I think it's fantastic to see the passion and the love for Spanish football, the Spanish league, and for Barça and Real Madrid. And we are cooperating with Iraq in the field of sports, not only with the National Olympic Committee, but there is a Spanish league - La Liga - has a project with the Iraqi Football Federation, and they are helping to, you know, they're helping the Iraqi league, but also to develop talent, you know, football players in... and they train young boys as well, and they have been here, they are also working in Kurdistan. And I think the last project they had, they organized something in Duhok.

And actually, one of the - as I was saying before - one of the trainers played in a Kurdish football team some years ago.

I think there's an academy or a foundation, Real Madrid and Barcelona also?

Yeah, they have it in Erbil and Duhok. Yeah, but there are other football teams that are doing things in Iraq. There's El Betis, El Español, there are many, there's a lot of football cooperation in football.

So, are you trying to create or build new players for you, for Spain, or for Kurdistan?

No, for Iraq. For Iraq, to develop talent here in Iraq. Yeah, they have - they train young boys.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So that they have possibilities of becoming, you know, good football players.

Let's talk about visa applications. I want to know how Iraqi citizens or Kurdistan, from Kurdistan also, how they can get a visa? How can you facilitate the process?

Well, one of my priorities when I arrived in Iraq was to reopen the visa section of the embassy, which had been closed because, you know, for security reasons for some time.

We are doing this through many embassies we work with, and Spain works with a visa service provider, which is BLS. Other embassies work with other companies. And we've opened an - they've opened an office in Baghdad. So, for a tourist visa, as you know, it's a Schengen visa. So, the rules are the same rules for Spain as for all the other Schengen countries. And they can apply - they have a webpage where they can, you know, reserve an online appointment.

And on the webpage, you have all the requirements, all the documents that you have to bring in order to get a visa. But I think it's important for people to have ties, you know - for people to be able to travel to Spain and to get to know our country. We are one of the - we're the second tourist destination in the world, with over 80 million tourists per year. And yes, also for business reasons, you know.

How many of them are Iraqis or are from Kurdistan?

I don't - I wouldn't be able to say. But I think it's not a very high number. But we do have a lot of Iraqis that do travel to - that do travel to Spain. We even have people - Iraqis - that invest in Spain and have businesses in Spain.

Can you give me a number, for example, your approval rate of the visas, your refusal rate, how many visas do you give, for example?

Well, I don't know. I wouldn't be able to say because, you know, these are... we don't say them publicly. But the refusal rates - well, if you have all the documents that are required, then, you know, there shouldn't be a problem.

But many times, people, when they present their application, they're missing documents. Or it's - for example - they say they're going to Barcelona and then they present a reservation in Madrid. You know, there's things that just don't...

Or maybe they come to - this happens with all the Schengen countries - they come to the Spanish embassy, but they're really traveling to Italy. Exactly. So, either they don't fill in their application well, or there's incoherence - you know, they have an invitation from somebody, but then they made a reservation in a hotel. So, I think it's... sometimes people should really, you know, present their applications well, and all the documents that are required, and the insurance.

And if, you know, if you really want to apply for a visa - do it properly.

Madam Ambassador, thank you very much for this opportunity and welcome to Rudaw again.

No, you're most welcome.

Thank you very much.

It's a pleasure. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

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