Erbil Governor and Dutch Consul Discuss Implementation of Green Belt Project, a Strategic and Important Project for the Capital Erbil

Today, Sunday, October 19, 2025, Omed Khoshnaw, Governor of Erbil, received Adriaan IJsselstein, Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Erbil, and an accompanying delegation consisting of Simone Philippini, Head of the Dutch Committee for Environmental Impact Assessment, and several other diplomats from the consulate, at the Governorate Diwan.
 

In the meeting, attended by the Deputy Governor, the Head of the Climate Change Unit at the KRG Prime Minister's Office, the Mayor, the Director-General of Agriculture, the Director-General of Municipalities, the Director of Erbil's Urban Planning, the Director of Irrigation, the Director of EJCC of Erbil Governorate, and the Director of Governorate Relations, both sides emphasized their mutual desire to enhance and advance relations in all fields, especially in agriculture.

For his part, the Consul General of the Netherlands thanked Erbil Governorate for its cooperation and coordination with their consulate and reiterated his country's desire to strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the economic, commercial exchange, and agricultural fields. He also praised the role of Erbil Governorate in all the joint work they have done with their consulate in the past and provided a summary of the purpose of their visit.
 

Then, the Governor of Erbil, while commending the consulate's cooperation and partnership with Erbil Governorate, congratulated the Consul General of the Netherlands in Erbil on assuming his duties and wished him success in his partnership with Erbil Governorate. He also reiterated the full support, assistance, and cooperation of Erbil Governorate for the success of their work.
 

Subsequently, in a meeting, discussions were held regarding climate change, and all the measures, efforts, and projects undertaken by the Kurdistan Regional Government within Erbil Governorate in this regard were highlighted, especially the Erbil Green Belt project, which is an important and strategic project for the city of Erbil. Under the directive and recommendation of His Excellency Masrour Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, this project was decided upon within the framework of Erbil's master plan to reduce the effects of climate change.
 

It consists of 8 zones, and work has commenced in one of these zones during this period. In this regard, the relevant parties provided attendees with more clarity, plan formulation, and work implementation for their project through a presentation. The Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Erbil and the Head of the Dutch Committee for Environmental Impact Assessment expressed their pleasure with the project's implementation.
 

In another part of the meeting, another important environmentally friendly project was highlighted, which is the cycling project in Erbil. Its implementation, in addition to adding historical, tourist, environmentally friendly, and sports dimensions to the capital Erbil, will also provide great benefits and services to citizens, especially those who enjoy cycling.
The Governor of Erbil revealed that the design and preparations for the construction of the project's path have been completed, and it is planned to be implemented in the capital Erbil soon.
 

Finally, the Consul General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Erbil and his accompanying delegation thanked the Governor of Erbil for the reception and for providing the necessary explanations about the projects. They highly appreciated his support and cooperation with their consulate and emphasized continued cooperation, coordination, and partnership with Erbil Governorate.