(Adnkronos) – Italy’s companies are keen to bolster cooperation with Iraqi Kurdistan in key sectors from energy to infrastructure and agri-food, foreign minister Antonio Tajani told former regional president Masoud Barzani at talks in Rome centred on bilateral relations, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
Ties between Italy and Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdistan region are being strengthened “by a growing economic partnership and fruitful cooperation in the field of defence,” said the statement issued after Tajani’s talks with Barzani at the foreign ministry on Wednesday.
Barzani is the current leader of the Kurdish Democratic Party (KDP).
“Recalling last year’s Italy-Iraqi Kurdistan business forum in Rome, Tajani emphasised Italian businesses’ interest in bolstering collaboration in the energy, infrastructure, pharmaceutical and agri-food sectors,” the statement continued.
In the defence field, Tajani underlined the presence in Iraqi Kurdistan of “numerous” Italian military personnel who are deployed there in counter-terrorism activities, the statement said.
Italian troops are also involved in training Iraqi and Iraqi Kurdish security forces, the statement noted.
“The stability and security of Iraq and Iraqi Kurdistan are strategic priorities for Italy,” the statement went on, recalling Tajani and Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein’s meeting in Rome in December.
Tajani and Barzani’s talks also covered Syria, “in light of the alarming developments in the north-east,” the statement said.
The statement referred to the deteriorating security situation in the region amid fears that Islamic State jihadist militants could re-emerge after the government defeat of Syrian Kurdish forces in a rapid offensive in the northeast this month.
The two ministers agreed “on the importance of a diplomatic solution between Damascus and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for the stability of the country, the integration of the Kurds and the success of the political transition,” according to the statement.
“The stability, unity and territorial integrity of Syria are a priority for Italy, together with the hope that the rights of all members of Syrian society, including Kurds, Christians, Druze and Alawites, will be guaranteed,” Tajani underlined.
