To strengthen trade relations and facilitate business for Kurdish merchants and companies at Mersin Port, the Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry received delegations from TISIAD and Mersin Port.
Today, Wednesday, 19/2/2025, in the presence of Omed Khoshnaw, Governor of Erbil, Sarwar Kamal Hawari, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Karim Suleiman, Undersecretary of Agriculture and Water Resources, Kamaran Salah Bajger and Maruf Aziz Khan Harki, Deputy Chairmen of the Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry, along with members of the Chamber's administrative council and numerous merchants, company owners, and general directors of government institutions, a trade meeting was held with delegations from the Turkish-Iraqi Industrialists and Business People Association (TISIAD) and Mersin Port, led by Mohammed Saleh, Chairman of TISIAD, accompanied by the head of the trade section at the Turkish Consulate General in Erbil and several officials from Mersin Port and Turkish companies and merchants.
At the beginning of the meeting, Kamaran Salah Bajger, Deputy Chairman of the Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry, delivered a welcome speech, expressing his pleasure in organizing this meeting.
The Deputy Chairman stated: "It cannot be denied that the Kurdistan Region has a prominent economic position, both as a main market for Turkish goods and as a gateway for sending Turkish goods to other parts of Iraq, in addition to the long-standing relations between both sides."
The Deputy Chairman noted that the volume of trade exchange between Iraq and Turkey until the end of 2024 reached 17 billion dollars, with 14 billion dollars being Turkish exports to all of Iraq, of which 20-25% went to the Kurdistan Region.
Kamaran Salah Bajger stated that there are 1,064 Turkish company branches in Erbil city, which demonstrates the strength of trade relations between both sides.
Then, Omed Khoshnaw, Governor of Erbil, delivered a speech highlighting the strong relations between Erbil city and Turkey's provinces, stating that there is a solid relationship between them and expressing his satisfaction that this relationship is reflected in trade activities, with relations growing stronger day by day.
The Governor of Erbil expressed hope for more facilitation for merchants from both sides and thanked the Erbil Chamber of Commerce for organizing this meeting.
During the meeting, the undersecretaries of both the Ministry of Industry and Agriculture delivered separate speeches, expressing their hope for strengthening trade relations and showing their readiness to facilitate and strengthen relationships.
In response, the visiting delegation expressed their happiness with this visit and thanked the coordination and role of the Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which has always been supportive in organizing trade meetings and strengthening trade exchange between Turkey and the Kurdistan Region.
The visiting delegation expressed in their speeches full support and facilitation for Kurdistan Region companies and merchants who import their goods to Iraq through Mersin Port.
Later, the head of relations at Mersin Port, through a short video presentation and slideshow, explained the port's sections and capabilities to the attendees and presented data.
At the end of the meeting, local merchants and company owners expressed their views on the port and the most important obstacles they have faced to the visiting delegation, hoping they could find suitable solutions, and also requested efforts to allow Kurdistan Region truck drivers to access Mersin Port for direct transportation of goods to the Kurdistan Region.