Italy opens consulate in northern Iraq

ERBIL

Italy opened Tuesday its consulate in Erbil in northern Iraq, controlled by Kurdish Regional Government (KRG).

Kurdish Regional Government Prime Minister Nachirvan Barzani and the president of the Italian senate Pietro Grasso attended the official ceremony for the opening of the consulate.

Barzani said: “Italy was one of the first countries responding to our call for help” in the fight against Daesh, about a year and half ago.

“Italy’s prime minister was the first prime minister to visit the Kurdish region in that difficult period,” Barzani said, recalling that Italian soldiers were training peshmerga forces in the fight against Daesh.

He said Italy’s decision to open the Erbil consulate was another “sign of support for the Kurdish people”.