ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – India and the Kurdistan Region maintain “very strong, positive, and friendly” relations across economic, health, and educational sectors, India’s Consul General in Erbil, Brijesh Kumar, told Rudaw on Saturday, highlighting cooperation and training programs for Kurdish students and officials amid wider regional turmoil.
“The relation between India and Kurdistan Region is very strong, positive, and friendly. And on many aspects, there is a strong relationship, whether in terms of economic relations, health relations, educational relations,” Kumar told Rudaw’s Dinlya Rahman during celebrations marking the Hindu festival of Navratri at the Indian Consulate in Erbil.
Navratri is a nine-day Hindu festival dedicated to the goddess Durga and her various forms. Kumar said the event brought members of the Indian community together in Erbil to observe the religious occasion.
Kumar said India was supporting Kurdish students and professionals through its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) program, which covers travel, accommodation, and other expenses for participants attending training courses in India.
“This year I am happy to share that nearly 50 to 60 Kurdish student, officers, and person have been to India for undertaking this training,” he said, adding that the courses cover a broad range of disciplines, including information technology, management, accounting, and women’s entrepreneurship.
The program aims to strengthen professional skills and expand opportunities for cooperation between India and the Kurdistan Region, he said.
Kumar also highlighted the contributions of the Indian community in the Kurdistan Region, estimating that between 7,000 and 8,000 Indians live and work there across a range of professions.
“They are working mainly at different companies, even some are professors in universities and colleges, and some are in private companies, some are like auditors, finance officers as well, some are common workers,” he said. “So, in every aspect of activities, the Indian community is present in Erbil and contributing to the economy and society in Kurdistan Region.”
Turning to regional conflicts and their wider economic repercussions, Kumar reiterated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s position that disputes should be resolved through diplomacy and peaceful means.
“Our Prime Minister, Honorable Prime Minister Modi, has repeatedly said, ‘This is not an era of war,’” he said. “Every conflict, every issue should be resolved through talks, diplomatic channels, and through peaceful means, as per the international law and order.”
Kumar cautioned that the consequences of war extend beyond the countries directly involved, undermining global stability and disrupting international commerce and energy supplies.
“The war is not only affecting the warring parties; the war is affecting the global peace, global trade, and everything,” he said.
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