Sweden appoints permanent diplomat and trade representative in Erbil
At the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new offices this morning Sweden’s Minister of Trade Ewa Björling said: “Today I’m very proud of the inauguration of these two new offices, the section office for our embassy here in Iraq, and the Swedish trade council office here. This is something that I promised a lot of Swedes, and certainly those with Kurdish origin back in 2005, and finally it is fulfilled.”
Speaking on behalf of Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), the head of the KRG department of foreign relations Minister Falah Mustafa said: “The KRG welcomes this step, and we believe it's an important one for further consolidating and strengthening the relationship that has already existed for a long time.”
Mustafa congratulated and welcomed Louise Calais and Roland Sosei as the head of the embassy section office and the Swedish trade council office respectively. He assured them that the KRG and the department of foreign relations in particular stand ready to work closely with them and assist them in their missions.
“We're pleased to have Sweden be one of the 24 countries that have a foreign representation here in the region, as these show the importance that the international community places on the safe and secure environment of the region and the welcoming attitude of the KRG and our people,” he said.
Sweden’s ambassador to Iraq, Carl Magnus Nesser, highlighted the region’s dynamic economy and fascinating political standing and he brought attention to the close links that Sweden has with Kurdistan.
He said: “The Kurdistan Region is a natural starting point for any company that would like to do business in Iraq, or anywhere in the Middle East for that matter. So, of course we of the Swedish trade council should have an office here."
Sweden’s exports to Iraq grew by more than 30 percent last year to total more than $160m.
AKnews
