Water and agriculture have been the main topics of bilateral trade relations between the Czech Republic and KRI in the past year as well. The successful Czech Business Day in Erbil (2022) was followed by the visit of the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources, Ms. Begard Talabani to Czechia in June 2023.

During a very intensive stay, a meeting was held at the Ministry of Agriculture (CZ) followed by a series of meetings and visits. I would like to mention the Research Institute for Soil and Water Conservation, Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, the Czech-Moravian Breeders' Union, the Morava River Basin, and city of Mikulov. There is potential for business cooperation everywhere and Czech CG continues to work to build on the negotiations that have taken place in the Czech Republic and turn them into export commodities, whether in the form of know-how or services or specific goods.

A growing export footprint in KRI is left by agricultural and light construction machines that are manufactured in Czechia. In one case it is the traditional Czech brand Zetor and in the other case it is Bobcat EMEA. 

We were very pleased to be able to present the newly imported cars Škoda Octavia on the day of the national reception on the occasion of the national holiday on 28^th October. We believe that this trend will continue in 2024. The Kurdistan region is not only about the Czech cars and water, fortunately, it is also about other industries, services and cooperation that are developing successfully.

In our last article, we looked a little more extensively at tourism, which is a government priority here. The priority remains, however, not much has changed in this area over the year. The Kurdistan region really has a lot to offer, unfortunately current situation in the Middle East is certainly not adding to the stability and development of this segment. Nevertheless, in cooperation with the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic and the Association of Travel Agencies of the Czech Republic, we prepared a visit of the directors of the tourism directorates of local state and local government to Holiday World in Prague. This was an initial step to enable KRI representatives who work in tourism to meet those who provide services in this sector and to establish contacts. One significant project where tourism and agriculture can be combined is the annual autumn pomegranate festival - the Hanar Festival. Unfortunately, there is still a lack of greater professionalism in this area. In 2023 we failed to turn ideas into reality, so we will try this year. 

However, what we did manage to implement were activities within the framework of the Reconstruction Programme of the Czech Republic in the Middle East region. As part of a small-scale project for 2023, Czech CG together with NGO Rwanga Foundation completed a project in a secondary school in Rovia (Bardarash district, Duhok). We fully equipped the classrooms that were created in 2022, we did not neglect the staff and with a feeling of successful mission accomplished, we handed over everything to the teachers and students for use in the autumn of 2023.

In terms of tied financial donations (TFDs), we have changed our long-term strategy and concentrated our assistance in a somewhat neglected town in the KRI - Halabja. In partnership with the Association of Manufacturers and Suppliers of Medical Devices, specifically Comedeq Ltd, we provided a dermatology office equipped with modern equipment and tools as TFDs. Even after 35 years since the tragic event in Halabja, people are still suffering from the consequences of the chemical attack that took place there in 1988. In this way, we have stood alongside Germany and France, which have long supported the availability of medical care for all those in need.    

We have conceived this article as a little "bigger" look back at 2023, and therefore Czech CG public diplomacy cannot be skipped. In this diplomacy, we were able to realize all the activities we planned. We can mention an exhibition dedicated to Czech prominent women, an opera tour across the Kurdistan Region and finally the holding of the National reception in October 2023. However, none of this could have happened without the support of the Czech MFA and our partners. For this, we are very grateful.  

We have deliberately left mention of the NGOs to the very end of this article. As they say, the best for last. Czech CG is a proud partner of the Million Oaks project, which we have long supported and thus share common values on climate changes. Czech CG works closely with all Czech NGOs and/or Czech-led NGOs in the KRI and we strive to be helpful in finding solutions when needed. We are very grateful to all of them for their work, which hopefully will never end here and is still much needed. 

Finally, I would like to personally thank Czech MFA and everyone who has been helpful to us during 2023. I hope that you have all found yourselves here. I would not miss to leave anyone out. I would like to thank the staff of the Czech Consulate in Erbil for their work and wish everyone good luck and success in the new year 2024.