Turkish economy minister arrives in Irbil

IRBIL (A.A) - Turkish Economy Minister Zafer Caglayan on Tuesday arrived in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil for a two-day formal visit. Caglayan will have a series of talks in Irbil and Sulyemaniyah to boost opportunities of trade and economic cooperation as well as exploring new markets for Turkish goods. Caglayan will be accompanied by a large group of Turkish businesspeople who are set to meet with their Iraqi counterparts in separate business forums in Irbil and Sulaymaniyah.   The Turkish economy minister is also expected to meet with Massoud Barzani, head of the regional administration in Iraq's north, as well as with Nachirvan Barzani, Iraqi Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) deputy leader. In 2011, Turkey's trade volume with Iraq reached a record high of almost 11 billion USD. Over 70 percent of the bilateral trade was done with Iraq's north. Turkey's exports in the first eleven months of 2011 was 7.4 billion USD.