ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – A United Arab Emirates (UAE) delegation arrived in the Kurdistan Region’s capital of Erbil on Wednesday. The visit aims to strengthen bilateral ties and economic cooperation between the two sides.

Safeen Dizayee, head of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) Department of Foreign Relations (DFR) received the high-level UAE delegation, led by Minister of State Saeed Mubarak Rashid al-Hajeri, at Erbil International Airport.

“The visit is part of the efforts of the Kurdistan Region and the UAE to develop bilateral relations and develop economic and trade relations,” read a statement from the DFR, adding that the delegation is set to hold meetings with top officials of the Kurdistan Region, including Prime Minister Masrour Barzani and President Nechirvan Barzani.

The DFR said that Hajeri has been appointed as the UAE Foreign Ministry’s Envoy for Special Affairs to the Kurdistan Region, a step that highlights “the UAE's willingness to strengthen and expand relations with the Kurdistan Region in all fields,” and is “an indication that the Kurdistan Region is a strategic partner of the UAE in the region.”

The UAE’s investment in the Kurdistan Region is reportedly valued at over $3.3 billion.

A delegation from the KRG’s Board of Investment arrived in the UAE on Wednesday to attend a conference promoting investment in the Kurdistan Region.

Bargasht Akrayi, spokesperson for the board, told The New Region that “more than 21 Emirati companies in the sectors of agriculture, industry, and renewable energy and several other sectors will participate in the conference.”

Reporting by Hevi Karam