Erbil Governor receives Swedish Deputy Ambassador to Iraq

The Governor of Erbil, Omed Khoshnaw, received on Monday, November 21, 2022. At the governorate office, the Swedish Deputy Ambassador to Iraq, Felix Jenk Son. They exchanged views on the current situation in the Kurdistan Region in general and Erbil in particular. The Swedish Deputy Ambassador to Iraq praised the governor of Erbil and called him an active and charismatic governor. He said the purpose of their visit to Erbil was to learn more about the situation and history of the city. Because it is important for them to know more about the history of the oldest city like Erbil. For his part, the governor of Erbil briefed the delegation on the long-standing relations between the Kurdistan Region and Sweden.

They have come to the aid of the Kurdish people in difficult times. The proof of this is that a large part of the Kurdish refugees is still living in Sweden and carrying out civil and cultural activities. Meanwhile, Kurdish academics after gaining experience in the country, now continue their service in the Kurdistan Region. Even the Kurdistan Region has benefited from the experience of Sweden in terms of education and the adoption of the Swedish system in the education process was one of the priorities of higher education in the Kurdistan Region.

The Governor stressed that Sweden was the most prominent country that did not give up on the Kurds during the attack of ISIS terrorists and helped the Kurdistan Peshmerga with weapons and alliances. "We hope that Sweden will expand its humanitarian and diplomatic relations," he said, such as promoting economic relations and doing business for this reason, the Kurdistan Region is an open door for companies and businessmen from Sweden and other countries. Omed Khoshnaw stressed that they are now working with Baghdad to form a new Iraqi government. They are eagerly awaiting the resolution of the outstanding issues between Erbil and Baghdad. He added that the Swedish government is expected to look at the attacks from a different perspective, which are attacked by neighboring countries under various pretexts. Another topic of the meeting was the issue of refugees and global problems such as climate change. ‏The Swedish Deputy Ambassador to Iraq thanked the Governor of Erbil for the opportunity to discuss several sensitive issues.