ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A top Kurdish business delegation is in Abu Dhabi to attend this year’s Annual Investment Meeting (AIM Congress), meeting international business leaders and showcasing the Kurdistan Region’s potential as an attractive investment destination.

“At this congress, we are working to seize the opportunities and showcase the Kurdistan Region’s potential to countries, investors, and people in general,” Mohammed Shukri, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Investment Board, who heads the Kurdish delegation, told The New Region.

The three-day event, which will wrap up its activities on Wednesday, is attended by international business leaders and policymakers from over 180 countries.

In this year’s edition of the Congress, the Kurdistan Pavilion has been set up to showcase business opportunities and facilitate investor relationships between Erbil and the world.

“We hope we will be able to attract too many major international companies and chambers of commerce to visit the Kurdistan Region to do business and invest,” Shukri told The New Region’s Mustafa Mala Hasan.

The Kurdistan Region and the UAE enjoy close ties across many sectors.

Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani earlier on Tuesday attended the event.

Barzani hailed the Kurdish business delegation’s attendance in the Congress, saying that had it not been for the private sector, the Kurdistan Region would not have seen as many developments as it currently has.

“We deserve to increase in the number of domestic investments and work to attract more foreign investment,” Barzani said.

An estimated 200 Emirati companies currently invest in the Kurdistan Region, contributing to a trade volume exceeding two billion dollars, with Dana Gas being the most salient example.

Dana Gas, a UAE-based energy giant, has played a pivotal role in producing the Kurdistan Region’s natural gas since 2007 and currently operates in the Khor Mor and Chemchemal fields.

In addition to investments, the UAE has supported the Kurdistan Region in its fight against the Islamic State (ISIS), mainly through humanitarian assistance to displaced individuals and refugees.