Printer-friendly VersionBy Qassim Khidhir
The Kurdish Globe
After a meeting with Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani and Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Dr. Barham Salih, Bildt opened the Swedish Consulate in a large ceremony.
"Starting today, we will start a new era in relations with Iraq and Kurdistan Region," said Bildt in a ceremonial speech. There is a small Kurdistan in Sweden (referring to the Kurdish community in Sweden), said Bildt, and Sweden now seeks to build a small Sweden in Kurdistan. There are about 100,000 Kurds living in Sweden with Swedish citizenship; 40% of them are Kurds from Iraqi Kurdistan.
In a later press conference, Bildt hoped for better security in Iraq and highlighted the March 7 Iraqi elections. "Now Iraq is facing an important election; I hope it is the best election in Iraq and a unique election for the Middle East," he said.
Regarding the large number of Iraqi asylum seekers in Sweden, a number of who were recently deported by the Swedish Government, Bildt said the Swedish government will not change its policy.
"We give asylum only to those who are oppressed and politically prosecuted. Fortunately, the political prosecution has noticeably dropped in Iraq and Kurdistan Region," he said.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Salih, who also attended the ceremony, noted that "opening European consulates in Erbil is a statement of the confidence in Kurdistan Region and its future."
Salih praised the Swedish people and government for accepting a lot of Kurdish refugees during hard times. He said European countries' companies can use Kurdistan as a gateway to all Iraq.
Currently, 17 countries have representatives in Erbil city, including consulates, honor consulates, trade offices, and embassy offices.
In the joint press conference with the Swedish FM, Falah Mustafa, head of Kurdistan Region foreign relations, said that Turkey will soon open its consulate in Erbil. "Also, several Arab countries have promised to open consulates after the March 7 elections," he added.