Jordan opens consulate in Iraqi Kurdistan

Jordan on Monday officially opened a consulate in Erbil, the capital of the Iraqi Kurdistan region. Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit, who inaugurated the consulate, said Jordan pins many hopes on its ability to connect with officials and businessmen in Kurdistan and to tap on economic and investment opportunities in Kurdistan and Jordan, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Meanwhile, several agreements and memoranda of understandings were signed between Jordan and Kurdistan during Bakhit’s visit to the country, which ended yesterday. The Kurdistan region is considered a favourable investment environment because of the availability of opportunities there and the region’s stability, Petra quoted officials as saying. Bakhit, who arrived in Kurdistan on Sunday heading a large Jordanian delegation, met yesterday with Kurdistan Prime Minister Barham Saleh. During the meeting, attended by several Jordanian and Iraqi officials, the two sides agreed to eliminate obstacles facing economic and commercial cooperation between the two countries. Bakhit also expressed Jordan’s willingness to provide Kurdistan with expertise needed in the fields of banking and construction and to contribute to the reconstruction process of the Kurdistan region. Saleh expressed interest in benefiting from Jordan’s experience in the field of Qualifying Industrial Zones, tourism, healthcare administration and administrative reform. Bakhit and Saleh on Sunday opened the Joint Economic Forum held in Erbil to provide Jordanian and Iraqi businessmen with networking opportunities and the chance to get acquainted with investment opportunities in Jordan and in the Iraqi region. The agreements were signed between the ministries of agriculture, health, housing, ICT, transport and planning in the two countries, while the memos were signed between the chambers of commerce in Jordan and Erbil. Minister of Industry and Trade Hani Mulki, who attended the forum, highlighted obstacles facing Jordanian trade, especially industrial products, pointing out that there are talks on institutionalising procedures to enable Jordanian contractors to take part in the reconstruction process.