“India-Iraq commercial relations have always been strong. We have been strong business and trade partners with Iraq for a very long time, and the main item being petroleum or crude oil, because Iraq is such a big producer of petroleum and India is the second biggest importer of crude oil in the world after China,” Indian Ambassador to Iraq Soumen Bagchi told Rudaw’s Vazhin Morad in Erbil.
“That relationship has been very strong,” he affirmed, adding that New Delhi has been buying “more and more crude oil” from Baghdad in recent years.
Thousands of Indians live in the Kurdistan Region and work in various sectors. The country has a consulate in Erbil.
“We hope that Indian businessmen will take a serious look at Kurdistan, visit more and more for tie-ups with Kurdish businesses, and the business relations can prosper for mutual benefit of both the peoples,” Bagchi affirmed.
He further praised India’s success in the fields of healthcare, manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, education, and infrastructure, noting that the Kurdistan Region can benefit from the expertise of Indian companies.
“That can be replicated in Kurdistan,” Bagchi said.
In January, India’s Consul General to Erbil Madan Gopal praised New Delhi’s “strengthening” cooperation with Erbil, particularly in the field of education.
