U.S. explores economic cooperation in Sulaimaniya

SULAIMANIYA / IraqiNews.com: A U.S. economic delegation has explored opportunities of mutual economic cooperation in Sulaimaniya, highlighting the province’s potential for development. “Sulaimaniya has witnessed much construction activity, and there are good opportunities for its economic development,” an official from the U.S. consulate’s Arbil-based office for economic and trade affairs in Sulaimaniya said during a meeting with the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in the province, Hassan Baqi Horami, which was attended by IraqiNews.com. The U.S. delegation’s visit aims at exploring the economic situation in the province and at enhancing relations between U.S. companies and their counterparts in the province, the official noted. Horami presented statistics on production levels and the number of companies in the province. The modern city of Sulaimaniya, 364 kilometers north of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, was founded in 1748 by a Kurdish prince known as Ibrahim Pasha Baban who named it for his father Sulaiman Pasha. Since being founded as the capital of a powerful Kurdish principality it has grown to about 1,800,000 people. Sulaimaniya, known as Zamwa prior to its founding, is the cultural center of the Sorani-speaking Kurds and an important economic centre for Iraqi Kurdistan. SS (S) 1