Shafaq News/ On Thursday, Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani called for replicating South Korea’s development experience across the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, expressing the Region’s readiness to expand and strengthen ties with South Korea in all areas.

Barzani made these remarks during a ceremony in Erbil marking the 20th anniversary of the arrival of South Korea's "Zaytun (olive) Division," a military team deployed to Kurdistan in 2004. The event was attended by the South Korean ambassador to Iraq.

"Twenty years ago, there were no relations between South Korea and Kurdistan. The arrival of the Zaytun Division in 2004 marked the beginning of ties between the two sides," Barzani said, noting that South Korea's role extended beyond military assistance to humanitarian and service-oriented projects.

He highlighted the division’s significant contributions, including the construction of 60 schools and 15 medical centers in the Kurdistan Region, and praised the team's popularity among the Kurdish people.

Barzani also underscored the potential for "deeper cooperation with South Korea," stating that "the Region offers promising investment opportunities and a welcoming environment for foreign capital."

He encouraged leveraging South Korea's successful recovery from war to become a global economic leader, suggesting that both Kurdistan and Iraq could learn from this experience.