On the eve of the CBD, a joint working dinner was held with the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Aleš Kendík, at the invitation of the Minister of Agriculture and Water Resources (KRI), Ms. Begard Talabani. After an initial courtesy discussion, the two delegations briefed each other in detail on the current state of the water sector in the KRI and the Czech Republic. The dinner was concluded by the Deputy Minister´s inviting the Minister to the Czech Republic to see for herself the qualities of the Czech water industry.  

On the first day of the CBD (12 October 2022), the agenda included the opening ceremony, speeches by the main guests, presentations by Czech companies and B2B meetings. The first to speak was Minister Begard Talabani, who in her speech emphasized the importance of agriculture and water resources in the KRI. She presented the current situation and highlighted that agriculture is a priority for the regional government. Deputy Minister Aleš Kendík, in his speech, presented to those present in the conference hall the water policy in the Czech Republic, the legislative framework and why it is necessary to have good legislation. The impacts of climate change in Europe were also on the agenda. The last speaker was the Head of the Board of Investment (KRI), Mr. Mohammed Shukri. He spoke about the investments that the regional government is making in the construction of new dams in the KRI.  

In the afternoon, it was a stellar moment for the representatives of Czech companies. Unfortunately, COVID-19 also spoke negatively to this year and at the last minute, representatives of a major Czech environmental firm had to excuse themselves due to illness. At the end of the first day of the CBD, there was a separate meeting between the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and the Head of the Board of Investment. The main topic of discussion could not have been anything other than all water-related investment in the KRI.  

The following day (13 October 2022) we left the Ebil hospitality and set out in full force to visit one of the three dams in the KRI - the Duhok Dam. The first stop was at the dam's Directorate General, where a purely professional discussion was held, full of technical details and an assessment of the current situation. This was followed by a visit to the dam itself and the last item on the CBD agenda was a meeting with the Governor of Duhok, Mr. Ali Tatar. The Chairman of the Duhok Chamber of Commerce was also present in the Governor's delegation, so that mutual business cooperation between the Czech Republic and the Duhok Governorate was discussed.

Czech CG in Erbil would like to thank the Ministry of Agriculture, the Confederation of Industry and Transport of the Czech Republic, the Czech-Iraqi Business Council and finally all those who appreciated the trip to the KRI for their support and assistance. Thanks, are also due to the regional Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, the Board of Investment and the Duhok Governorate. 

Consul General Mr. Karel Kortánek personally expresses his appreciation to the staff of the Czech Consulate for their efforts and work in preparing the Czech Business Day and supporting the Czech Economic Diplomacy in the Kurdistan Region.