Kurdistan Region |
Sweden |
---|
Kurdistan Region–Sweden relations are bilateral relations between Kurdistan Region [1] and Sweden. Kurdistan Region is represented in Sweden through a representation in Stockholm since 2011, [2] while Sweden has an embassy in Erbil since 2012. [3]
Trade between the two parties amounted 154 million dollars in 2012. There were 56 registered Swedish companies registered in Kurdistan Region that year. [4] Swedish MP Fredrik Malm stated that "We are friends of the Kurdish people and we follow the events closely, and our key objective is to support the self-determination of the Kurdish people." [5]
Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström met Kurdish Foreign Minister Falah Mustafa in January 2015 and discussed humanitarian aid for the internally displaced people in the region. [6] In November same year, Wallström and Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist travelled to Erbil and pledged support for Kurdish forces fighting ISIS. [7] 70 Swedish soldiers have been sent to Erbil to train Kurdish soldiers in urban warfare, healthcare, and protection against chemical weapons. [8] In October 2016, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Löfven visited Erbil, where he met Kurdish President Masoud Barzani, Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and the stationed Swedish soldiers. [9]