Prime Minister Barzani Champions Investment at Energy Industry Reception

Erbil, Kurdistan Region (GOV.KRD) - Prime Minister Masrour Barzani attended a dinner reception hosted by Kar Group in Davos to promote investment opportunities in the Kurdistan Region’s energy sector. The Prime Minister presented remarks during the reception and explained the potential the Kurdistan Region has for investment across different sectors and recent reform efforts by the KRG in this regard. Here’s the transcript of the Prime Minister’s remarks:

I thank Sheikh Baz for making this gathering happen tonight and it is great to see many friendly faces and friends, who have contributed to what we have today in Kurdistan and Iraq. Many of you have been working with us for many years and you have contributed to the successes that we have in the region. I believe that economic development can lead to more political and security stability in all the regions. And what we have in Kurdistan is a very living proof of what I'm just saying.
We are trying to make Kurdistan a place where we can connect ancient civilizations in the region together. We are located in the heart of the Middle East and because of the resources we have, I think Kurdistan is the place that everybody should look at. I can tell you that over the years, we've made some remarkable achievements by doing some reforms. After 30 years, Iraq as a federal country still does not have full 24-hour electricity. But only in a matter of two years with the reforms that we have implemented in Kurdistan, we are now close to having 24-hour electricity to all of Kurdistan, even the villages that are isolated and in far places. But most of our cities, the major cities, have 24-hour electricity. By the end of this year, we will have 24-hour electricity in all of Kurdistan.

We want to explore and invest more in gas and oil. Some of our friends have already invested in these fields. We are on the verge of forming a new government in Baghdad. And one of the key areas for our negotiation on the formation of the government is going to be energy.

I would like to reassure all of you that Kurdistan is committed to the partnerships and all the contracts that we have with all our partners and friends. And we will honor these contracts and would like to invite everyone to once again come and look at Kurdistan for its potential, for the role it can play, and also to help the rest of the region.

I wanted to once again thank you for this wonderful evening, Sheikh Baz.