In a letter to the Editor of the Washington Times, Harry Schute Jr., a retired U.S. Army Reserve colonel with long experience in Iraq, and currently a consulting adviser to the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), says American firms are missing out on opportunities in Iraqi Kurdistan.

Of the 850 international firms taking part in the recent four-day Erbil International Fair, only two were from the United States, he writes. The largest representation was from Turkey (76 companies), with Germany represented by 41 companies, France by 19, and the UK by nine (although 39 British companies were visiting the fair with UKTI).

“A few companies, such as Marathon and Hunt Oil Co., have seen this and are enjoying the benefits. If others don’t step in, Kurdistan will have to look to companies from those countries that do want to participate, whether they are from France, Germany, China or Iran. In that scenario, both American business and American diplomacy will miss out.”

 

Source: Washington Times