In Erbil... The inaugural session of the Business Salon was held under the theme: "Building a Resilient Economy."

On the evening of Wednesday, July 29, 2026, the opening ceremony of the first "Erbil Business Salon" took place. The event was attended by Omed Khoshnaw, the Governor of Erbil; Albrecht von Wittke, the German Consul General in Erbil; Sarwar Kamal Hawari, Deputy Minister of Commerce; and Gaylan Haji, President of the Chamber of Commerce. Also in attendance were numerous government officials, administrative figures, businessmen, traders, and both local and foreign investors.
 

The session was organized by the Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry in coordination with the German Consulate General in Erbil and the German Development Agency (GIZ).

During the ceremony, the Governor of Erbil delivered a speech highlighting the importance of strengthening the Kurdistan Region’s economic infrastructure. He noted that leveraging international expertise—particularly from Germany—is a vital step toward addressing economic challenges and creating more job opportunities.

The Governor expressed his gratitude to the German Consulate and GIZ for their continuous support of development projects and vocational training. He emphasized that transferring advanced European technology and expertise to the local market would improve the quality of domestic products and enhance the competitiveness of local traders on an international level.
 

Notably, the primary objective of this Salon is to identify new investment opportunities and facilitate a more effective role for the private sector in economic growth through partnership with Germany.

To this end, various experts in the field provided recommendations, stressing the need to encourage industry, trade, and investment to achieve a self-sufficient and resilient economy.