The Danish Ambassador to Iraq, Mr. Gert Meinecke, met with KRG Minister Falah Mustafa and other officials from the Department of Foreign Relations yesterday to announce that Danish companies will be participating in the progress and development of the Kurdistan Region.

Ambassador Meinecke visited the Region last month and met with President Masoud Barzani and other senior officials.

In the meeting attended by Ms Siham Jabali, Assistant Head of DFR, and Mr Dara Jalil Khayat, the Danish Honorary Consul in Erbil, both sides touched on the recent and successful parliamentary elections. Ambassador Meinecke also congratulated the KRG for the big turnout of vote and emphasised that the election is another milestone in the democratic process.

Minister Mustafa spoke in detail about the growing burden as a result of the increasing number of Syrian refugees fleeing to the Region. He praised UN agencies working hard to provide the refugees access to health care, education, shelter and food, and called for more assistance and aid from the international community, including Denmark.

There are currently over 240,000 refugees in Kurdistan as a result of continued violence. Ambassador Meinecke commended the KRG for the hospitality it is providing to the refugees and cited contributions Denmark is making through UN and its agencies.

He also cited his meetings with other senior officials in Kurdistan during his visit and reaffirmed the strong interest from Danish companies to participate in the investment opportunities the Region offers.

As part of the efforts to promote further trade and commercial ties and assist Danish companies on the ground, Ambassador Meinecke announced plans for Denmark to open a Commercial Office in Erbil.