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Kurdistan Region PM Masrour Barzani and Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Athens on June 11, 2021. Photo via PM Barzani's office/Twitter
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has said Athens and Erbil can work to build stronger economic ties in a meeting in the Greek capital on Friday.
“I'm very confident that your visit here will pave the way for an even closer relationship,” Mitostakis told Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani in a video shared on Twitter. “We have many fields of mutual interest, we can significantly foster our economic cooperation.”
Barzani arrived in Athens on Thursday, the second stop on his trip to Europe. It is the first visit of a Kurdistan Region PM to Greece.
He thanked the Greek PM for the “warm welcome” and said Erbil and Athens have “many common interests” in the region, including in the fields of security and business development.
“Prime Minister Barzani addressed the long-standing relationship between Erbil and Athens, and expressed the KRG's willingness to elevate ties, especially in trade and investment,” read a statement from his office.
The PMs agreed to "kickstart agriculture links and expertise," Barzani tweeted.
Mitsotakis also said he is looking forward to visiting Erbil, accompanied by a delegation of Greek businessmen to explore opportunities in the Kurdistan Region.
Barzani was in Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, where he met the Belgian prime minister and foreign minister.
Belgian PM Alexander De Croo said his government was ready to support the Kurdistan Region, “particularly through the agriculture sector,” read a statement from Barzani’s office. De Croo also said they are in talks with the Iraqi government over resolving issues between Baghdad and Erbil.
Barzani thanked De Croo for Belgium’s assistance in the war against the Islamic State group (ISIS).
Belgium’s Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmes told Barzani, “We remain concerned about the increase in the number of attacks on Iraqi territory in recent months. As an active member of the anti-ISIS coalition and within the framework of our NATO and EU missions, our country remains committed to the stability and security of Iraq, including the Kurdistan Regional Government.”
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