Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Tuesday thanked the UAE for its partnership with the Kurdistan Region during a visit of a high-level delegation from the UAE.

Prime Minister Barzani also conveyed his greetings to UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan and UAE Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum and thanked them for their support.

The delegation was led by Abdulla Nasser Lootah, Assistant Minister of Cabinet Affairs for Competitiveness and Experience Exchange, representing the UAE Prime Minister’s Office and the Government Experience Exchange Office, and included officials from the UAE Prime Minister’s Office and the ministries of Cabinet Affairs, Climate Change and Environment, Telecommunications and Digital Government, and Health and Prevention.

Prime Minister Barzani expressed his appreciation to the delegation for visiting the Kurdistan Region to conduct a government experience exchange program and share their expertise with KRG officials. 

As part of the visit, UAE and KRG officials held nine focused roundtables to identify areas of collaboration, including strategy, government digitalization, future foresight, investment and economy, healthcare, climate change, logistics, aviation, and capacity building, further strengthening the relationship between the two governments.

During the discussions, both sides explored ways to enhance bilateral cooperation and announced more than 30 initiatives designed to bring UAE expertise to the Kurdistan Region. Notable examples include a Government Performance Management System, which will provide the KRG with a centralized dashboard to monitor progress across ministries, improve decision-making, and ensure accountability.

Another key example is the Kurdistan Coders Initiative, which aims to train up to 30,000 young people in coding, artificial intelligence, and digital literacy, empowering the next generation of Kurdistani innovators and entrepreneurs.

The UAE delegation thanked Prime Minister Barzani for the KRG’s partnership and hospitality and reaffirmed their commitment to continued collaboration in governance, digital transformation, and innovation.

Read More: UAE Appoints Special Envoy to the Kurdistan Region

The Kurdistan Region has a very strong relationship with the UAE in both diplomatic and trade relations. The UAE appointed a special envoy to the Kurdistan Region in September.