ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A business-to-business forum was held in Erbil on Tuesday to strengthen trade ties between the Kurdistan Region and Turkey, bringing together hundreds of local business owners and members of the Turkish Exporters Assembly (TIM).
Kamaran Bajger, head of the Region’s chambers of commerce and industry, told Rudaw that Turkish business representatives are at the event to reach deals across various sectors, with more than 100 local business owners participating.
“The stability of the Kurdistan Region is a major incentive for Turkish investors to work in the Kurdistan Region,” Bajger said, adding that Turkish investors receive support similar to local ones, including assistance with land, taxes, and other facilities.
He noted that nearly 1,160 Turkish companies are currently operating in Erbil.
The Turkish Exporters Assembly, according to its website, represents more than 60,000 exporters across 27 sectors. It works with the Turkish government to promote exports, organize trade missions, and help shape national trade policy.
“Throughout Iraq, our companies have undertaken projects worth $35 billion to date. This figure places Iraq in third place worldwide and first place in the Middle East,” Turkish Consul General in Erbil Erman Topcu said during the Turkey-Iraq Trade Delegation & B2B Meetings in Erbil.
Topcu added that the Kurdistan Region “has been offering very favorable working opportunities for our private sector and business world for a very long time.”
In 2024, Turkish exports to Iraq exceeded $13 billion, with total mutual trade volume reaching $18 billion, he said. Meanwhile, the Kurdistan Region’s share is believed to be five billion. Officials from both countries have emphasized that they want to increase this number.
“We see the Turkish Republic as a strategic trade partner of the Kurdistan Region,” said Kurdistan Region Deputy Trade Minister Sarwar Kamal, calling the event “a sign of the strength of the trade and economic relations” with Turkey.
Turkey and the Kurdistan Region enjoy strong economic relations. Erbil relies on Turkish imports for domestic consumption, and its economy is also heavily dependent on trade and investment with its northern neighbor.
Every year, a significant number of people from the Kurdistan Region and Iraq visit Turkey for tourism purposes. Last year, both countries lifted visa restrictions for people aged under 15 and those over 50.
The Middle East Tourism Expo (METEX2025), a three-day event, was held in Erbil with the participation of around 200 companies from 11 countries earlier this month. https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/07052025
Turkish companies showed great interest in the event, Topcu told Rudaw at the time.
In April 2024, Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Erbil, discussing ways to advance economic and trade relations, and Barzani reiterated his support for Turkish companies investing in the Kurdistan Region.
On Monday, a similar event was held in Paris with officials and business leaders from Iraq, the Kurdistan Region, and France gathering, bringing together hundreds of businesses to explore investment opportunities.
