DIYARBAKIR, Turkey – Lawmakers from the Kurdish parliament discussed stronger ties and more with officials in Diyarbakir, the mission head told Rudaw.
“The Kurdistan Region wants to have healthy relations with North Kurdistan (Turkish Kurdistan) and we are here to show our support,” Salar Mahmoud, the MP leading the Kurdish team, told city officials.
He said the Kurdish parliament seeks better ties with neighboring countries and “the visit will strengthen mutual respect.”
Diyarbakir Mayor Frat Anly welcomed the efforts and said more meetings should take place.
“We will face future challenges together and confront the threats as a united people,” Anly told his guests, referring to the ongoing war against jihadist insurgents in Iraq and Syria.
Around 1,300 Turkish companies are working in the Kurdistan Region, taking advantage of economic opportunities, despite ongoing conflicts in the rest of Iraq.
With around $4 billion worth of trade, Kurdistan has become an important economic partner for Turkey in the Middle East.
Economic growth in the Kurdistan Region reached 12 percent in 2012, before the eruption of violence in Iraq and Syria, but has remained at 8 percent since 2013 despite the influx of some 1.4 million refugees.
Thousands of guest workers from Turkey have moved across the border to the Kurdistan Region in search of better economic opportunities, often working in the booming construction sector.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment