ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Erbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw led a tourism and trade delegation to the Kurdish city of Diyarbakir (Amed) in southeast Turkey on Thursday, attending a tourism and food fair. He discussed bolstering bilateral relations with local authorities. Khoshnaw and his delegation attended the inauguration of Mesopotamia Tourism and Gastronomy Fair in Diyarbakir which will last for four days. The aim of the fair is to “promote the tourism potential of Mesopotamia and to make it an indispensable destination for tourism in our country and the world,” according to its website. Addressing the fair, Khoshnaw “called on the Turkish investors to benefit from investment opportunities in the Kurdistan Region, promising to provide them with necessary facilitation as per the Kurdistan Parliament’s laws,” read a statement from his office. He also invited Turkish officials to attend a tourism fair which will be held in Erbil on April 4. The Kurdistan Region and Turkey enjoy great economic relations, especially in the oil and construction sectors. A large number of the Region’s people go to Turkey for tourism. Erbil and Diyarbakir governors spoke to reporters later in the day. “We would like our relations to improve in all aspects - trade, cultural, and sport. Such fairs are a means [to improve relations],” Diyarbakir Governor Munir Karaloglu said, adding that Kurdistan Region officials had attended other fairs in the province in the past. “We are the children of the same geography, culture and faith.” Khoshnaw told reporters that he too wishes for better relations with the host province in all aspects. “We hope we can further bolster our relations in the future.” Erbil's governor also said that he had discussed the resumption of direct flights between Erbil and Diyarbakir. The Kurdish delegation also visited the site of an oxygen cylinder explosion which hit the city’s industrial zone earlier in the day, injuring 11 people.
